Dawn of the Dawn
by Madcap13
Summary: Alternative version of the Older and far away. Episode 614 in BTVS.Stupid, wacky and awkward. That's how you know I wrote it.Crosses over with Angel in LA.
1. Default Chapter

Dawn of the Dawn.

Written by Madcap13.

Summary -

Yes, I'm going for stupidest Fanfic title. I was watching BTVS and Dawn said something like "I wish they'd stop going away." and I thought to myself "How clunky is that line?". So I thought up my own to replace it.

It's pretty Dawn-centric and kinda screwy in parts. I warned you.

Spoilers - In the Buffy universe it's set when they got stuck in the house when Dawn was granted a wish by Halfrek the vengeance demon. In Angel universe, it's set when the hotel was overrun with those glow in the dark critters and the return of Connor and Holtz from Quor-toth.

Highlights - Connor abuse & Kitty Fantastico worship.

Disclaimer - I own nothing. I am the void with no eyes and no face. That's me.

* * *

The guidance counselor smiled a disarming smile, making it so easy to talk to her.

"I know there's been a lot of loss." the counselor said sympathetically.

Quietly, Dawn looked up into the counselors eyes and then looked down again.

"It's just.. I .. Everyone in my life, they're so caught up in their own things. I'm playing second fiddle to everyone. My sister has .. her job. I don't really have many close friends in school. All of them are outside school and a lot older than me. To me, I'm just the baby. I wish.. I wish that they could know what it feels like to be me for once."

-----

Much later that day, After Buffy's birthday party.

Buffy's birthday party went well. Very well for a party thrown her honor.

No one died.

Zombies didn't lay siege to the house.

Dawn didn't find out that she was manufactured by monks and was in fact a big green ball of energy... not that it could happen more than once.

In fact, it entirely normal except for Spike and his demon friend Clem.

There was a little awkwardness between Tara and Willow, Spike and Buffy, Anya and Xander. Anya's always awkward but Buffy was finding her awkwardness .. somehow comforting.

Spike was being a little sullen though. That's vampires for you.

Dawn was channeling her own little Angel tonight too. Arr, the teenage years. How I don't miss them.

Buffy had a theory. It entails that whenever she wanted something from Spike, she'd have to go all the way to crypt to get it from him and often with a little pummeling involved too. But when she didn't want something from Spike, he'd be there shoving it in her face.

In this case, the thing she didn't want was his continued presence as she waved goodbye to Xander, Anya and Richard, the not-so-obvious stud-on-a-stick for Buffy. She wasn't sure why but she wasn't biting on this one. He seemed nice enough. But then, maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was her. Inviting someone -normal- into her life seemed too sadistic for her tastes.

"Well, Richard seemed nice." she said conversationally to Spike and Clem who were standing next to her.

"Dick." Spike said bluntly.

"Spike." Buffy warned him.

"What? It's a short form of Richard." Spike said, as if he was being perfectly civilized, "I'm just being chummy."

Buffy gave him a tired look and walked back to the kitchen.

"So, we up for a little rough and tumble tonight?" Spike asked, chasing after her.

"Why don't you go out and start without me. I want to try out that back massager Willow gifted me."

"It won't reach the itch you need scratched."

Buffy shook her head, "Not tonight, Spike. I'm in too good a mood. So, off into the night with you. Go on, frolic. Be free."

Spike stood there for a while, giving Buffy a sour look. He was interrupted by Clem who said "Great party."

"You're welcome, Clem." Buffy said with a genuine smile but a plastic voice, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"We should do this again."

Buffy shrugged, "It's always possible that I might have another birthday."

"Well, see you later."

"Bye."

All the while, Spike was trying to set up some form of suspense with his intense case of bedroom eyes but it just wouldn't work. So, he sighed and waved goodbye with a flick of his wrist and followed Clem out the back door.

She would wait two minutes then walk out to catch up to Spike. Spike and Buffy spent a few hours patrolling but it was uneventful, much to Spike's disappointment. After that, Buffy walked home and went to bed, happier than she'd been all year.

It was almost a completely perfect day. Nothing could ruin it.

Well, nothing except tomorrow.

-----

The screams were load enough to wake Buffy up.

With frazzled bed hair, she bounced out of bed and ran straight into the wall on her way to the door.

Pratfalling back to the floor, she shook her head clear and got back up and this time she made it through the door.

"Dawn?" She asked, "What's wrong?"

Dawn's eyes widened as she looked at Buffy, "Buffy?"

Then the door to Dawn's room opened and -another- Dawn came out.

The new Dawn looked scared for a second then stopped and took a closer look at her twin then at Buffy.

"Uh.. What's going on?" Buffy asked, for the first time noticing that her voice sounded completely different.

Also, the floor seemed a little further away than normal.

In fact, her entire body felt wrong somehow.

Her head whipped sideways to look into her room where a mirror was posted to the wall and she saw her sister looking back in the reflection.

"Whoa!" she said startled, "How come I look like Dawn?"

"What's going on?" asked the girl who Buffy presumed was the real Dawn.

-----

Sunnydale streets, inside a grey SUV.

Two other Dawn lookalikes were sitting in the car.

The one with a blue cotton shirt, baggy blue jeans and blue denim jacket was driving.

The one with a simple yellow matching dress and top was in the passenger side.

Both looked

"It's a spell. It's just a spell." The driver muttered like a mantra, "Spells can be reversed, right?"

"Yes." the passenger said emphatically, "It's just a spell."

Then they drove in silence for a few minutes.

"Xander?" The passenger asked.

"Anya?" the driver replied.

"I still love you."

"I still love you too and.. Oh God, this is strange."

-----

Back to Buffy's house.

Buffy, Willow who both looked like Dawn were downstairs in the dining room with Dawn in a state of unease.

What was interesting was you could tell who was who by the way they dressed.

Dawn was in a purple shirt and black pants.

Willow was in a shapeless mass of black with bags under her eyes.

Buffy was dressed in a simple white Tee and shorts ensemble. What she would usually wear when training. She was currently on the phone.

Dawn looked at Willow and asked "What's so disturbing about looking like me?"

"I don't just look like you, Dawn. I've got the same body and everything. How would you like it if one day you just woke up one day and were Spike?"

Dawn's eyes drifted towards the ceiling as she thought about it. After a few seconds her mouth curled into a smile and said laughed "Heh. That'd be cool."

"Okay. Bad example. How about Buffy. Your sister."

Dawn shrugged, "That wouldn't be so bad. She -is- the slayer, you know. It'd be kinda cool to have super powers."

Willow gasped, "Oh god. Buffy!"

Buffy looked towards the duo with a raised eyebrow and she placed the phone down "Tara's not there."

"You're not the slayer anymore."

"I'm not?"

Willow bit her bottom lip, "Try something slayery."

Buffy gave her a weird look, "Like what?"

"I dunno. Sense if there's a vampire in the room."

Buffy scanned the room, "Nope. It's vampire lite un-less you're not telling me something."

"Ooh. Go outside and try to pick up the car." Dawn suggested with a grin.

Buffy laughed, "Hey. I'm not -that- strong. How am I supposed to get my hands around it? It's all cumbersome like."

There was a knock at the door and Buffy volunteered, "I'll get it."

She opened the door to two other people who looked remarkably like her sister.

"Okay, little missy. What did you do?" Anya asked, "Was this some failed attempt to wrestle Xander away from me with magic? If so, it's not going to work. I'm resolutely set to marry him and nothing you can do will stop that."

"Ahn." Xander said softly, "Let's just keep our heads about this. There's no need to be angry. We'll just reverse the spell and poof, back to normal."

Buffy blinked, "Xander? Anya?"

Xander nodded, "Yes. That's us. And I think you have some explaining to do."

"You had better come in." Buffy said, motioning them in.

Xander and Anya walked in while Xander rambled a little, "Now Dawn, there's some things you don't mess with. A man's manhood is one thing..."

He stopped when he saw Willow and Dawn staring back at them.

Xander pointed to Willow and asked "Willow?"

She nodded and he pointed to Buffy, "Buffy? And that's the actual Dawn, isn't it?"

"I'm getting coffee. Wants?" Buffy asked everyone.

"Tea." Dawn and Willow requested while "Coffee." came from Xander and Anya.

"So.." Xander started, unsure of where to go, "What's happening?"

"Don't know." Willow told her, uh, him, whatever, "Dawn says she didn't do it and I believe her."

"What? Just like that?" Anya whined, "It's so obviously her fault."

"I don't sound like that, do I?" Dawn whined in an identical tone, "It's kind of annoying."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anya asked, "There's nothing wrong with how I talk."

Dawn chuckled, "Whatever lady."

"What did you do anyway?" Anya asked her.

"Nothing! Buffy's been drilling me about this since I woke up and I haven't done anything magical. I've learnt my lesson about the trials and tribulations of magic after Willow's burnout."

Willow hemmed and came to Dawn's defense, "Besides, this is megawattage magic. I seriously doubt it would be possible for a first timer."

"What about the nerd herd?" Xander asked.

"But to what end?" Willow asked him.

"I'm thinking they have a thing for twins." Anya stated, "And this does sound like one of the zany things they would pull."

There was a long pause.

"You think they're zany?" Willow asked.

"Maybe hair brained would be a better word." Anya conceded.

"Coffee and tea." Buffy said with a bright smile, coming out with a tray full of cups.

"Buffy, you don't seem too phased about this." Xander said as he took his cup.

Buffy shrugged as she handed out the rest, "It's better than the last time I wound up in someone else's body. As far as weird Sunnydale experiences go, this one isn't all-"

Before the conversation went any further, they were rudely interrupted by an insistent knocking against the front door.

"Just when I thought my day couldn't get worse. Along comes Spike." Xander said sullenly.

Buffy being the one already standing, opened the door for Spike, who came through, huddled under a smoking blanket.

When Spike took the blanket off, Xander fell off in chair in a fit of laughter.

"Hey! This isn't funny." Spike bawled in the form of Dawn, except with bleach blonde hair.

"Wow." Buffy laughed, only half trying to keep her laughter in with a hand over her mouth.

"Oh. So it happened to you guys too." Spike said, his jaw set askew, "And bloody hell Harris, It's not that funny."

"Yes! it is!" Xander guffawed, "Seeing you like this makes it all worth it."

Spike rolled his eyes, "This is like a bad Japanese cartoon."

Xander stopped laughing at gave Spike a grim look, "Hey! I'll have you know that Ranma is a very good Japanese cartoon."

"How did you know he was Xander?" Buffy asked Spike, "It's not like we're wearing name tags."

"He's the only one I know with that demented laugh."

"I look really different with blonde hair." Dawn said, looking Spike over like a dress in a store.

"If I were you, I'd stick to your natural color." Xander told her then cracked up anew, "Hey! I -AM- you."

"Xander. You're having far too much fun with this." Anya said with a worried expression, "The plan is still to get you back to normal, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. No offence Dawn but when I woke up next to you this morning, I almost had a coronary. Then I found out I didn't have any of my more manly parts and I almost had another."

"Hey, Will. Vampire." Buffy said, skewing her head towards Spike.

Spike gave her a weird look, "And who are you? You're not that Sophie girl from last night, are you?"

Buffy's eyes opened wide at him, "You can't tell?"

Spike shook his head, "Maybe if you gave me a clue here."

"It's me."

"Me who?"

"You're so clueless. I'm Buffy."

Dawn tittered, catching Spikes look which quickly turned devious.

"Oh. I get it. You thought you can pull the wool over my eyes. You're Dawn, aren't you?" Spike asked Buffy then turned towards Dawn "And she's Buffy."

"Aww. He found out." Dawn sighed, "Good try, Dawn. I thought you had him for a moment."

"You gave it away." Spike told Dawn.

Buffy rolled her eyes then held the back of Spikes collar. With a simple flick of her leg, she whipped Spike's legs out from under him and threw him to the floor.

"See. I'm the real slim shady. All the others are just imitating." Buffy said with a silly grin.

"Uh, right." Spike said, "So you're Buffy."

"That's right, stupid." Buffy told him, taking his hand and hauling him back upright.

"What's the plan?" Spike asked, "How are we going to fix this?"

"We're going to find Tara and get her to do a cancellation spell." Willow told Spike.

"Well. You guys do that. I'm going to make breakfast." Buffy told them, then laughed, "I don't know why but for some reason, I feel as giddy as a schoolgirl."

"Oh har har." Dawn said, her voice dripping with sarcasm which turned to horror, "Oh crap. School. This falls under the category of something that I need to stay home for, isn't it?"

"Yup. We've all got a bad case of Dawnitis." Xander joked.

Willow smirked "No. We should call it Dawn fever. Sounds neater."

As Buffy headed towards the kitchen, Spike cut her off in the hallway.

Buffy gave him a wary look, "What?"

"Look. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's every man's dream to be a girl for one day. So, as a favour, do you think we could.." Spike let his lewdly wiggling eyebrow finish the rest of the sentence for him.

Buffy gave Spike a look of utter contempt and disgust.

"God Spike! You're my sister. Not even you can be that deranged."

As she turned her back on him, he muttered under his breath "I can if I want to be."

Spike reluctantly moved back to the dining room with the others.

"Have you tried calling Tara?" Spike asked.

"She wasn't home." Dawn replied.

"What about her cellphone?" Anya asked.

"No answer either." Dawn supplied.

"And why are we like this?" Spike asked.

"We don't know." Willow told him.

A few minutes of quiet waiting passed by.

All the while, Dawn was looking intently at Spike.

"What?" Spike asked her, shrinking into his jacket as he did.

"Could you.. do the thing?" Dawn said with hands gnarled into claws.

Spike blinked, "What thing?"

"The Argh-Argh thing. With your face."

"Oh -that-. Okay."

Spike's face grew ridges and set into it's more demonic form.

"Eww. I look like Harmony." Dawn squealed, wrinkling her nose up but laughing at the same time.

"Buffy. You've got to see this." Anya shouted excitedly, "It's gross."

The doorbell rang and Spike walked over to the door and looked through the peephole.

Through it, he saw another Dawn clone in a frumpy green dress with a big puffy brown jacket over it. For some reason she looked cold despite her clothes and the warm california weather.

"Hey, lookie. We've got another." Spike said, his face turning back to normal.

"Who is it?" Xander asked from the table.

"Can't tell. She looks a mite antsy." Spike said, opening the door, making sure to avoid the sunlight as it came through, "Hello. Is there something I can do for ya?"

This Dawn gave him a look like a deer caught in headlights, "Uh, uh, H-Hi."

Spike chuckled, "Come in, Tara."

"How could you tell it was me?"

"By your sparkling personality, of course. Now come in before my hair catches on fire again."

Tara walked through the portal tentatively, then said a quiet "Oh." when she saw everyone else.

Xander smiled widely, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Buffy walked into the room, holding a bowl of cereal and said "Hi Tara." without even looking towards her.

"How did you know it was me?" Tara asked.

Buffy shrugged as she sat down to the table and started breakfast.

"How did this happen?" Tara asked, "Did Willow do a spell?"

"No. I didn't." Willow grumbled, "How come people automatically think it's me who does the spell? If anyone was going to do a spell like this it would be Xander."

"Hey, I learnt my lesson with the song and dance demon." Xander whined.

"Just like you learnt your lesson after I chased you with a fire axe?" Willow said with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?" Tara asked.

"Xander did a love spell. Don't ask." Willow explained.

"I still think it's Dawn who did it." Anya said snidely.

"You know, nibblet." Spike said, "If this is a plea for attention, I think it worked."

"Dawn. You can tell us if you did a spell." Xander said in what he hoped was a soothing voice, "It's not like the rest of us haven't gone through magic troubles before. It's like a rite of passage."

"I didn't do a spell!" Dawn yelled, throwing her hands up in the air, "Just stop asking me."

"They get younger every year." Anya whispered to Xander, "Next week she'll be stealing money to pay for an abortion."

Dawn's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "WHAT?!"

"She's kidding." Xander said with a smile, "Right, Ahn... Ahn?"

Anya smiled a bright plastic smile, "Yes. We respect you enough to know that boys are pigs. Or maybe they're piglets, since men are pigs. Hmm."

"I'm going to crash in the basement." Spike said, getting up abruptly, "Tell me if anything changes."

After Spike left, Xander asked Buffy "Do you have a camera? Because -that- should be preserved for prosperity."

"It's not that funny." Dawn said with a frown.

"Yes it is. Angel would pay money to see Spike like this."

"Really?" Anya asked, "Does he have thing for teenage girls?"

"No dear." Xander started then his face turned comical, "Actually. I think he might."

"Xander!" Willow said shocked at her friend.

"What?" Xander asked, "How old was Buffy when she and Angel were an item? About as old as Dawn is right now."

"No she wasn't..." Willows voice trailed off for a moment, "Wow. You're right, Xander. It seemed so natural at the time but looking back on it, it's kinda creepy."

"And you wondered why I never liked him?" Xander asked her rhetorically.

"Oh please. I was way more mature than Dawn at her age." Buffy snorted.

Dawn's mouth drooped open, "What? Come on. I'm more mature than you now!"

"Really? I've got a job, I've graduated from school and other grown up things."

"You still sleep with mister Gordo." Dawn said, shocking Buffy.

"I told you never to mention that." Buffy hissed.

"Uh, who's this Gordo guy?" Xander asked.

"Stuffed pig." Buffy explained, "It's not like I -sleep- with him. He's just like an extra pillow."

"I-I brought ingredients for a counter spell." Tara said.

"Hey, that's great." Xander said with a grin, "But can I get a camera before you use them?"

Tara looked at him, unsure what to say.

"Xander. I think we have more pressing concerns than your shutterbug syndrome." Buffy told him, "Tara, ignore him. Let's go prepare in the kitchen."

"Uh-Okay." Tara said getting up, followed by Buffy and Willow.

Tara looked to Willow, "You stay here, okay?"

Willow nodded in defeat and sat back down.

"Can I watch?" Dawn asked, "I'll be quiet."

"Sure." Tara said.

"I don't suppose -you- have a camera?" Xander asked a sullen Willow.

She shook her head, "I use disposables. Don't have one at the moment."

Xander sighed, "Oh well. I guess I'll see what Tara's doing. I always wondered what you two got up to behind closed doors."

He stood up and took up position next to Dawn, watching as Tara used the kitchen utensils, "Hmm. She's making a mushy green paste out of leaves and a foul smelling powder. Yup. That's sure is sexy."

Tara shot him a cross look and he said "Sorry. I'll shut up now."

Using a burning match she set the mulch alight then blew out the match.

Slowly, a soft red smoke floated up from the bowl. It writhed in the air as if it had a life of it's own.

Dawn and Xander gave out a slightly awed "Oooh."

Tara held a finger to her mouth to motion silence and they had the decency to look stricken.

Taking a slow deep breath in, she released her breath then spoke one simple word, "Revert!"

The red smoke whirled through the air up but quickly thinned and was gone.

Everyone waited for something to happen. Xander was anticipating a lot of pain by the wary look in his eyes.

After a reasonable waiting period, Buffy looked down at her Dawn shaped chest then back up and said "Snakes eyes."

"Did we screw it up?" Dawn asked.

Tara scratched her head, frowning, then shook it.

"N-No. I don't think baby noises count as a command."

A creak rippled through the house and Buffy turned to Xander, "Did you hear something right now?"

Xander's brow knitted together, "I'm not sure."

Then a large crash was heard from downstairs, followed by a girlish scream of "BLOODY HELL!"

-----

In the basement, Spike was contending with two problems at once.

One was trying to get the fly on his pants up before someone else came in.

The other was a giant red demon wielding a massive and remarkably shiny sword.

"Come on, you stupid thing." Spike said, looking down at his pants for a second.

Then it worked and he zipped his pants up.

However, the demon took this opportunity to throw an upwards slice on Spike, which cut the front of his shirt top in half and passed through a good portion of his rib cage.

Spike fell back and coughed up some blood.

The demon stood over him and raised it's sword above it's head with two hands in preparation for a finishing blow.

"You.. You cut my jacket!" Spike screamed and surged back up and gave the demon a heavy punch straight to the face, taking the demon totally by surprise.

Buffy came down the stairs to the basement and lunged for the demon with a knife.

Using it's immense strength and mass, it batted her away without injury.

Then it glimmered and faded into the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Spike squeaked.

"Omigod! Dawn. Are you all right?" Buffy asked then mentally berated herself then asked again, this time a bit slower and duller "I mean, Spike, are you all right?"

Spike gave her a sour look then said "Yeah. Just dandy. He, uh, caught me with my pants down. I could've taken him it's just... Dawn, you need to work out more."

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked him, "Are you supposed to bleed like that?"

Spike looked down at the flesh wound across his stomach and shrugged, "Huh. Would you look at that? He barely nicked the jacket. For a second there, my leather flashed before my eyes."

"That looked like the demon I killed two nights ago." Buffy said, frowning.

Spike corrected her, "You mean the one you thought you killed."

A creepy creaking noise moved thought the wall and bits of concrete dust blew out from the wall.

"Okay. That's different." Xander said, "And not in a good way."

Buffy followed Dawn and Xander as they walked up the stairs but she stopped to look back at Spike.

"He'll be back." Buffy warned him, "It would be better if you were upstairs."

Spike sniffed, "Yeah. The mood is ruined now anyway."

Buffy blinked, "Huh?"

"For .. sleeping." Spike said as innocently as a vampire could.

Buffy let it drop and walked up the stairs, followed by Spike.

"Hey, Slayer." Spike said with a laugh.

"What?"

"Nice ass."

Buffy fumed wordlessly but kept up those stairs.

At the top, Dawn asked Spike, "Did you say I had a nice ass?"

"I guess I did." Spike said with a wink.

"Spike!" Buffy growled, "You're weirding me out here."

"Good to know."

"We should dress that." Tara said, wincing at the wound Spike received.

Spike smiled wide, "Sure. So who wanted to see me without my shirt on?"

Tara's insistence to care for Spike fell away at that and no one else seemed too keen to lend a hand either.

"I'll do it." Dawn sighed, "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Buffy looked like she was about to interrupt but she didn't.

"We should use the bath upstairs." Spike told her, "Wouldn't want to make a mess."

Dawn nodded, "Blood is just so hard to get out of the carpet."

Dawn and Spike moved off to the kitchen and Buffy called after them, "Be careful."

Dawn shot her an angry look, "We're just going to the bathroom."

"So what was that thing?" Xander asked.

"You don't think that thing was what turned us into Dawn dubs, do you?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow, "Sounds a little fishy. Big bad demon who runs around hacking people up and occasionally turns them into little girls. Doesn't fit the profile."

"But neither does running away like a little sissy." Xander pointed out.

Buffy frowned, "But why would he turn me into my sister? Wouldn't it make so much more sense to turn us into a small furry animal which would make us an easy target?"

"Or a harder one." Anya said, "We could scamper all over the place and hide in small confined spaces. That would be even worse."

-----

Dawn and Spike were in the bathroom upstairs. Spike had unashamedly stripped off his shirt and was lying in the bath tub with Dawn doing her best to sow up his gaping chest wound.

"Gentle." Spike cooed, "It's tender."

"Sorry." Dawn said, her face so red is looked ready to pop, "This is the first time I've tried sowing someone up."

"No, don't be sorry. You're doing fine." Spike said "Just keep going."

"You're not .. You're not getting turned on by this, are you?"

"Dawn. You know me better than that." Spike said, closing his eyes and leant himself back against the bathtub a bit more. Dawn noticed he was smiling slightly.

"Did you mean what you said downstairs?"

"About your derriere?"

"Yeah."

"It's shaping up nicely." Spike said, smiling but still with his eyes closed, focusing on something else, "It's better than Buffy's already."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Buffy's all bone." Spike chuckled.

Dawn frowned, "And how would you know?"

Spike's eyes blinked open, startled, "Uh. You can just tell, by looking."

Dawn gave him a strange look then went back to stitching him back up.

"Dawn. If there's something you want to tell me you can." Spike said conversationally.

"I don't know anything." Dawn fumed, bringing an ouch from Spike as she pressed into his wound a bit too strongly.

"Careful, nibblet." he winced, "I wasn't talking about -this-. I meant in general. If there was something in your life that you didn't feel comfortable talking to your big sis about, you could tell me. I won't judge you."

"You'd probably encourage it." Dawn smirked.

Spike smirked too, "Maybe. If I liked what I saw."

Dawn sighed, "Well. I'm.. alone. No one's around anymore."

Spike raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"You know how it is. Everyone's got their own private little lives without me in it. You're about the only person who treats me as an adult but I only get to see you before bedtime."

"But Buffy's here all the time, isn't she? She lives here."

Dawn shrugged, "Not really."

"Well, what about your friends from school?"

Dawn gave Spike a look that questioned his intelligence, "Actually, I don't have many friends at school."

"You don't? But you're.. You don't?"

"I've got friends but they're - Do you seriously believe that I can know about the things that go bump in the night and then go to school and act like everything's normal and fine? They're live in a different world. I tried talking to the school counselor about it but, hey, it's not like I can bring up slayers, is it? So she didn't really help."

"You talked to a counselor?" Spike asked her, amused.

"Yeah. My grades have been slipping. It's hard to take school seriously with everything that's gone on."

Spike frowned, thinking deeply, "What sort of things did you talk about?"

"Pretty much what I'm talking to you about."

"You didn't happen to express a wish to her, did you?"

Dawn looked nervous, "Um, maybe just a little. But that wouldn't mean anything would it?"

"Okay Dawn. I want you to remember what you asked for."

Dawn went through the previous day in her head and took in a big gasp, "Oh."

"Oh?" Spike asked.

"I wished that you could feel what it's like to be me." Dawn admitted, then hit her head on the bathtub.

"Dawn. You should know better than that." Spike said with disappointment in his voice.

Dawn looked at him like she was a caged animal, "I was angry. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

Spike sighed, leant over and pulled her into a hug, "I know you didn't. But it's okay. We'll work something out."

They stayed like that for a long intense minute.

"Um, Spike?"

"Yes hon?"

"Can we have this conversation after you put your top back on."

"Sure. Just finish sowing me up."

-----

After they were finished in the bathroom, Spike and Dawn walked down the stairs to see Buffy arguing with Anya.

"Anya. Rabbits can't be that hard to defeat in battle."

"But they're fast, I tell you. You know that story with the tortoise and the hare, right? Well, a hare is just another sort of rabbit."

"But I've never heard of anyone being killed by a rabbit."

"So? That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. In America, there's never been a recorded case of anyone being killed by wolves or dolphins either. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It just means that when it does happen, they make sure they do it right and there's no witnesses."

Dawn turned to Spike and joked through the embarrassment of her actions, "See, Spike. Buffy's always arguing with me. Even when I'm not in the room."

Spike smirked slightly, more for her sake than his and turned to the group, "Hey. We know what's causing this."

"It wasn't me, was it?" Xander quickly asked.

"No, you didn't stuff this up." Spike told him, "I guess the law of averages had to kick in sometime."

"Aha!" Anya shouted, "I knew it was Dawn's fault."

"It's not really." Spike said coming to Dawn's defense, "She was bamboozled by her school counselor. They made her make a wish. My money, they're some sort of demon. Wouldn't you say, Anya?"

Anya looked shocked and asked Dawn "You made a wish to someone you don't know?"

"Uh. Yeah." Dawn said, visibly uncomfortable, "I didn't know it would actually happen."

Anya rubbed her forehead, "Did she wear a necklace with a dark blue stone?"

"And little red flecks?"

"Uhh, for crying out loud!" Anya shouted, "Halfrek! It's Halfrek. You make a wish to a vengeance demon."

"I swear I didn't know."

"Only a vengeance demon can break her own vengeance spell. Nothing else will work. She's the only one who can reverse this." Anya explained then yelled to the ceiling, "HALFREK! Get your ass down here."

A plume of smoke billowed up from the ground and Halfrek unfolded out of it in front of their eyes.

"You rang?" Halfrek she asked majestically.

"Halfrek? What's the deal?" Anya asked her, "How could you do this? Why would you do this?"

Halfrek looked at Anya askew for a second and asked "Anyanka? Is that you in there?"

"Yes, it's me!" Anya spat, "What's the deal?"

"I told you I was in town on business."

"But cursing us?!" Anya cried, "Can you imagine what this is going to do to the wedding?"

"A little birdy told me that there's a good possibility they're making gay marriages legal in Massachusetts." Halfrek said with a wicked smirk, "So all it means is a change in venue."

"But I don't think they'll allow identical twins to marry." Anya argued.

Halfrek just shrugged, "Maybe you should look into one of the vowel states."

Anya rolled her eyes, "Why am I arguing about the wedding. Hallie, you know spells like this never turn out well. They're way too chaotic. They collapse under their own power."

Hallie shrugged, "Not my problem."

"I'm the client here, right?" Dawn asked her "Well. I don't want this anymore. Turn it off or whatever it is you do. I want a refund."

"Oh dear. You're young and you don't see that this is necessary. It's just a little pain to save you from even more later on. It's like pulling off a band-aid really fast."

"No. It's like you've twisted reality around to your liking with no regard for those whose lives your ruining."

Halfrek's happy smile was wiped off her face by this.

"You know.. you really understand what we're about." Halfrek said, smiling again, "Maybe if you're lucky, when you grow up you could be a vengeance demon too."

Dawn's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

"I wish I could stay here and chat all day but duty calls." Halfrek said, "So, good luck with the rest of your lives and in the future, think of others before thinking of yourself. Bye."

In a puff of smoke she vanished, leaving everyone in silence.

"Well.. Fuck!" Tara swore.

Willow gave her a small smile, "At least it can't get any worse."

Xander groaned, "Good going, Willow."

Willow gasped, "Sorry. I didn't mean it."

"What are you two on about?" Spike asked.

"It's the penultimate jinx." Xander told him, "You say, at least things can't get any worse and then they do."

Buffy nodded, "She's, uh, He's right."

Spike looked around the room for something then turned back to Buffy, "Looks like he's wrong this time. Nothing happened."

Then a nausea hit them, hard. It was as if their eye sockets wanted to throw up their brains.

"Good one, Spike." were Xander's last words before he blacked out.

-----

"Uhhhh!" Dawn groaned as she woke up and her vision wafted back to her.

Her head seemed two sizes too small for her swollen brain.

The first thing she did was look around to find no one else there.

Throughout the dining room, there were just piles of clothes were her friends and family used to stand.

(Oh no.) Buffy's voice said inside her head.

"Buffy?" her mouth spoke of it's own accord.

(Guys?) Willows voice said hesitantly, (I think something strange happened.)

(How come I can hear your voice inside my head?) Xander asked a perfectly reasonable question.

"No. You're in my head!" Dawn's mouth shouted in a British accent, "Get out of my head, you prick."

(Uh-oh.) A quiet voice murmured in a dark distant corner.

(Uh-oh is right.) Buffy thought and Dawn's body stood upright without her telling it too.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked.

(This is not good.) Anya's thoughts cut through the head like a buzzsaw, (Just think about money. Money is good.)

(Not so loud.) Willow winced, (Dawnie. Maybe we should sit down for a second.)

"We?" Dawn asked, "Uh, okay."

Dawn sat down in a chair, "Guys? Are you inside my head?"

(Yeah.) Spikes voice came through like a distant thunder, the most unnatural voice so far (This is a trip. I can hear our own heartbeat.)

Dawn listened for it and there her heart was, thumping away like a rabbit running through the woods.

Anya shivered and a streak of phobia ran through the mind, (Try not to think about rabbits too much, okay?)

(Or frogs.) Willow added, (Please.)

"Halfrek!" Anya yelled through Dawn's mouth.

(Okay. I didn't do that.) Dawn said, starting to freak out a little bit.

(Hey, Anya. Stop pushing.) Willow thought, (It's uncomfortable enough in here already.)

(I don't think she's coming back.) Tara told Anya.

(But w-what if we're stuck like this?) Anya asked hysterically, causing the heart to race even more, (We'll go mad. Mad I say.)

(I for one don't want to spend the rest of my life with Spike inside my head.) Xander said woefully, (It's bad enough being in the same town as him.)

(Everyone, relax. We'll sort something out.) Buffy's voice came through smoothly. Dawn could feel that it was tinged with something a little extra that made it feel more real.

(That's what I was thinking.) Willow told Dawn.

(Huh?) Dawn said, startled, (I didn't say anything.)

(She picking up on your thoughts.) Tara explained.

Willow internally smiled, (I guess we all can do that.)

Xander caused the body to frown, (Not me.)

(Neither) Buffy added.

(So we're all in the same body?) Tara asked, (So who's driving?)

Xander flexed out an arm, rotated it and looked at the nails.

(I think we can all control the body if we want.) Xander said.

Spike picked up her other arm and clenched a fist, (So it would seem... Peaknuckle war?)

(Uh, how?) Xander asked.

(We could just..) Spike explained by trying to lock the hands together but eventually gave up, (Nah, that doesn't work.)

(Guys.) Dawn said slowly, (I can feel you inside my head.)

(It's Amazing.) Tara said, full of wonder.

(H-Hey. That tickles.) Xander said, wriggling slightly.

(Uh, sorry.) Spike apologized, (Thought you were someone else.)

Dawn let her senses creep out to the others and could feel everyone. They were all different.

Spike was definitely the odd one out. He seemed to be constantly calculating, thinking of painful ways to break things and at the same time, infinitely impatient. While everyone else was soft and liquid, he felt like a softly burning lump of coal.

From the humans, Anya's soul was the most unusual. Her thoughts came through as convoluted and quirky but there didn't seem to be the same warmth of humanity which the rest shared. It was like it had all been squeezed out of her at some time.

Xander, emotionally was closest to her. He had a hard edge to his thoughts. Alienation and frustration ran through him along with other qualities Dawn couldn't identify.

Tara and Willow were both vibrant but Tara was currently shining brighter. To Dawn, it felt like Willow had wounded but was on the mend.

Buffy, surprisingly, was a calming influence, although she was tinged with a fatalism which Dawn couldn't understand. At first Dawn thought that Buffy didn't care but it went far deeper than that, beyond the scope of Dawn's emotional knowledge.

(I'm really hungry.) Xander said, breaking her train of thought, (Dawn. Did you eat breakfast?)

(Uh, no. I was caught up in the whole octuplet crisis.)

(Hey. My breakfast is right there.) Buffy said, getting up to eat it.

(Whoa. I'm not eating that!) Anya stated, stopping her.

(Why not?) Buffy asked.

(You were eating it.)

(And now I want to eat more of it.)

(Why don't we get a new bowl of captain crunch?) Willow suggested, (Otherwise we'll be stuck here all day.)

(That's not my idea of a meal.) Spike said, sending a wave of bloodthirst through both mind and body.

The body started to gag but several of the occupants clamped down on it's urges and stopped it throwing up.

(Spike. Don't do that.) Buffy warned him.

Spike agreed with her, (Ugh, point taken. I haven't upchucked in two hundred years and I don't think I want to.)

Dawn picked up Buffy's bowl of cereal, took it into the kitchen, dumped the contents into the trash and placed the old bowl into the sink.

Then she took out a fresh bowl and started the ardous task of making her own breakfast.

(How are we going to fix this?) Spike asked the group.

(What about that thing that guy used to split me into two people?) Xander asked, (Could we split ourselves up with that?)

(That -might- work.) Willow said uncertainly.

Buffy coughed uncomfortably, (Except I broke it.)

(How can you cough inside your mind?) Willow asked.

Buffy shrugged mentally, (I don't know. I just did.)

(How can you shrug?) Willow asked this time, (This doesn't make sense.)

(No one said your brain had to make sense.) Spike told her.

(We could make something similar if we had the ingredients.) Tara put forth.

(Really?) Spike asked, (And what would the ingredients be?)

There was a moment of indecision from Willow and Tara until Willow thought (We could modify an already existing artifact to do our bidding. Pretty much anything along the lines of body transference or soul manipulation.)

(Like the doodad Faith used to swap bodies with Buffy?) Xander asked.

(Faith broke it.) Buffy said sullenly as Dawn started eating from the bowl.

Then a surge of hunger ripped out of Spike like a lightning bolt and the body dropped the spoon, picked up the bowl and tried to pour the contents into it's mouth. The result was two thirds of it went everywhere else except down the throat.

A wave of pleasure and relief wafted off Spike, hitting the others like a soft guilty explosion.

"Oh god! that's good!" Spike said, panting.

Anya tittered, (That was fun but really messy.)

Spike turned towards the fridge and pulled it open, ripping the door off it's hinges.

(SPIKE!) Buffy yelled.

Even Spike was shocked, (Sorry. Don't know my own strength.)

But his guilt was just a show and he dove for the milk in the door.

He quickly twisted the cap off and sculled it, getting even more milk over himself as he did.

After he was finished, the body slumped down with his back next to the kitchen island, out of breath.

(Oh God. I forgot how good food tasted.) Spike said.

(So did I.) Xander said.

Buffy asked him, (Xander, is there something you want to tell us?)

(Huh? Oh, I mean, I, uh. I know food tastes good it's just that tasted -really- good.)

(Yeah.) Willow and Tara agreed.

(I didn't notice any difference.) Buffy said.

(You didn't?) Dawn asked her sister, (But that was amazing.)

(Maybe it's a slayer thing.) Anya theorised, (Super powered appetite.)

Xander chuckled, (But Ahn. If that was true don't you think Buffy would be...)

(Be what?) Buffy asked him.

(No offense Buff but you're kinda skinny. You don't eat that much at all.)

(I don't have that big an appetite.) Buffy explained.

(And she eats lots of low fat food.) Willow stated.

(We should clean up this mess.) Buffy said tiredly.

(Or.. We could eat some icecream.) Xander said excitedly.

(Whoa.) Buffy said, repelled by the idea, (I don't want my sister to turn into blimp girl.)

(Come on, Slayer. One tub can't hurt.) Spike said, getting up to raid the freezer.

Then a splitting pain wracked the body and Dawn looked down to see the business end of a sword jutting out from her chest.

Screams filled the mind.

It slid back out of her chest and she fell to the floor without a heartbeat to hear.

Rolling slowly onto her back, she saw a big red demon bringing it's sword above it's head to finish her off cleanly.

(At least it's a conscientious killer.) Buffy's thought came through sounding dead but for some reason it was easier to hear than the screaming.

When the blade came down, the unexpected happened. They caught it between their hands.

The demon tried to wrestle the sword out of her grip but Buffy wasn't going to let that happen. Instead, she pulled on it, bringing the demon forward and down upon her.

She kicked up with both legs, catching the demon as it fell towards her. It caused a new streak of pain to assault her chest but when she pushed up, she was rewarded with pushing the demon so hard, it went through the roof onto the second level.

Straining, she got up in time to impale the demon on it's own sword as it rolled back down through the hole caused by it's passage.

The demon flashed a bright blue where it was hit and then it seemingly gets sucked into the sword.

Buffy brought the sword over their knee and broke it, getting a final flash of blue light from the sword and she dropped it to the ground in two pieces.

(I'm glad that we didn't go all blue flashy when it stabbed us.) Anya said, emotionally tired.

(Hey. Why are we still alive?) Xander asked, (Not that I'm complaining.)

Spike huffed out a small laugh which hurt their ribs, (Aren't you glad I'm here now?)

Xander was about to say something but kept it bottled up.

Dawn looked down at the chest and touched the wound, her hands coming back covered in blood. (Oh god. This can't be good.)

(Maybe we should just go to bed.) Spike suggested, (It will all look better in the evening.)

(Okay.) Dawn replied sleepily, walking zombie like up the stairs.

At the top, she walked towards her bedroom but was stopped by Buffy.

(Any bed will do.) Anya growled and Buffy let go.

It seemed that although others could do things, Dawn had control of the body by default. So, she guided it towards her bedroom, closed the blinds and slipped under the covers.

Sleep took them over easily.

-----

Dawn woke up with a groan, her stomach demanding food.

She got up carefully so as to not irritate the gaping chest wound and found that it didn't hurt too badly. It felt warm and fuzzy unless she touched it.

(That feels strange.) Spike said, (Is this a slayer thing?)

(No.) Buffy said, prodding the wound and getting a strange feeling out of it.

(What are you guys talking about?) Xander asked them.

(The hole in our chest, Nimrod.) Spike shot back, (It feels funny... kinda nice.)

(It does?) Xander asked, (Feels like normal to me.)

(Uh. That aint normal, Xan.) Willow told him.

(Ohh.) Spike howled in laughter, (I know why it's doing that.)

(Why?) Buffy asked, (Is it infected?)

(Nah. It's just Xander.) Spike said, having the mouth smirk, (He's a masochist.)

(Huh-Hey!) Xander's voice rattled through the mind, (That's uncalled for.)

(It's nothing to be ashamed of.) Spike mocked him.

(Look. I am not a masochist.) Xander stated, (I'm really not.)

(It would explain a few things.) Buffy thought out loud, (Like how Xander would continually get beaten up by demons but come back for more.)

Willow hummed slightly in thought, (I thought he just bruised easily.)

(Oh, honey.) Anya whimpered, (You should have told me. We could have used whips and chains more if you wanted it that way.)

Xander groaned, (Spike's wrong. I'm not like that.)

(Maybe he didn't know.) Spike muttered.

(Shut up, Spike.) Xander growled.

(Ooh. What are you going to do?) Spike goaded him, (Commit an act of self flagellation?)

(Spike!) Buffy yelled at him, (Don't provoke Xander. In fact, don't provoke anyone here. As long as we're stuck in the same body, we should work together to make it as calm and painless as possible.)

(But some of us like pain.) Spike fake-whined.

At the bottom of the stairs, the house looked like a very strange and unusual bomb hit it. Piles of clothes littered the floor. The same clothes that the gang were wearing before they all combined into one body... like Voltron.

Willow chuckled, (Voltron. Funny, Xander.)

The body knelt down slowly and picked up Spike's duster off the ground and wore it. Spike grew a little more comfortable.

(Heh.) Xander laughed, (It's his security blanket.)

Spike growled but didn't dignify him with a response.

While still near the ground, the body held up a chip with several wires hanging out the back.

"What's this?" Dawn asked out loud.

(It's my chip.) Spike said in wonder, (Hey! I don't have my chip! I can kill people now. Not that I would or anything...)

(But it means you can fight crime.) Dawn told him, bringing his spirits up.

(Yeah. Crime. Good point.) Spike said deviously, his thoughts on something else besides law enforcement.

Getting up, they walked into the kitchen to get some food.

Milk, soggy cereal, blood, huge chunks of plaster, a refrigerator door and two broken halves of a sword littered the floor.

(I can't believe that happened.) Tara said, (We killed that demon.)

(It's kinda what we do.) Buffy told her.

(Aww.) Spike cooed, (It's her first kill. Always a special time.)

(Shut up, Spike.) Willow shot at him.

(How come it's always shut up, Spike? When do I get to tell you guys to shut up.)

(You don't.) Xander said happily.

(Shut up, Harris.) Spike said in a challenging tone.

(Guys.) Buffy whined, (Let's not fight, please.)

By their silence, she realised her words got through.

Dawn looked in the fridge and pulled out some celery sticks and explained "They'll just go off with the door not here."

She started eating them and Spike moaned, (Who knew celery could be so good?)

(Food always tastes better after a brush with death.) Xander told him.

(Yeah. I know but celery? It's so vegetarian. Hey! We should go to the bronze and get some of those spicy chicken wings.)

(Ooh. Eat the cheese.) Anya prompted Dawn excitedly, (The cheese.)

Dawn groaned, (Okay. I'll have some cheese. Any other requests?)

(I could do with a beer right about now.) Xander told her, (But alcohol is for losers so forget I said that.)

Dawn ignored him as he asked and picked out a bottle of orange juice instead.

After acquiring some cheese, an apple and a few peanut butter sandwiches, Dawn sat down to eat.

(Does anyone have a clue what we should do?) Dawn asked the group.

(Research?) Xander asked.

(It won't do any good.) Anya said grimly, (You can't reverse a vengeance demon's powers.)

(But what if we break her pendent?) Willow argued.

(Oh sure. That would work but do you know how hard that is?) Anya asked her, (A vengeance demon has all sorts of powers and they're damn near invincible and Hallie can do this telekinesis thing that I never picked up. It's so frustrating since she's a tenth of my age. It would come in handy fighting evil.)

(Well. We can't sit here and eat all day.) Buffy told them, (We need a plan of action.)

(I'm okay with sitting here and eating all day.) Spike told her, (This cheese ain't half bad.)

(We have to accept the fact that we may be stuck like this for a time.) Buffy told the group, (And that means we need a plan.)

(But why?) Spike asked her.

(Because.. Several reasons. If Dawn doesn't go to school, someone will eventually come here to find out what's going on. Quite possibly, child protection. Five humans just went missing and even in Sunnydale it's not entirely unlikely that police may investigate their disappearance. And.. And we need to do something.)

(How about cleaning up?) Anya suggested, (And a bath. We smell rank.)

(After we finish eating.) Spike told her then turned his focus back to the food.

(But what are we going to do after that?) Willow asked them, (We could call Giles.)

Buffy sighed, (He's in England but... now would be a good time to ask for help.)

(Who did you have in mind?) Willow asked her curiously.

(Umm. LA is just a few hours away.)

(Hold on.) Spike told her, (We are not going to the poofter with this.)

(Yes, we are.) Buffy ordered him.

(From what I've heard.) Willow spoke up, (Angel has a few demon connections. They could be useful in researching a cure.)

(Hey, I've got connections.) Spike told her.

(But most of them want you dead.) Buffy reminded him, (Unless you're talking about the kittie poker club.)

(What's your point?) Spike asked her, (I'm sure Angel's connections want him dead more than me.)

(Angel also might know some way to help us with certain legal issues. I've heard he's being harassed by evil lawyers so it's quite possible he has legal connections too. Could be useful if we need to get a legal guardian.)

Spike chuckled, (Evil lawyers? You're serious?)

They finished off Buffy's low fat yogurt and started cleaning up.

-----

An hour later, they came to their first real problem. The bright red demon brandishing a massive sword didn't count since he was hardly a problem at all.

They had filled the bath but Dawn was having second thoughts since it involved getting undressed in front of people.

Tara and Willow were predicting that this was going to be even more embarrassing than when they went to the toilet. It was a toss up for who it was worse for, Dawn who wasn't used to being pantless with other people around or Spike since it was his first bowel movement in two hundred years.

(Nibblet.) Spike said softly, (We've all seen your body naked so there's nothing to be embarrassed about.)

Dawn was clamping up emotionally and physically. Her portion of her brain just wasn't working as well as she wanted it to. She actually wanted to have a bath for the team but didn't want to strip in front of them.

(Oh for Pete's sake.) Anya cried, taking control of the hands herself, (It's just a bath, not a marriage proposal.)

Dawn rebelled but too late and her shirt was already off. Anya reached around to unclip her bra and Dawn reluctantly let her.

(I can do the rest myself.) Dawn told her, sliding off her jeans and panties.

After stepping carefully into the hot water, she eased herself down carefully.

Heat suffused through their body helping to sap away their tension.

A little sigh escaped Dawn's mouth and she leant back into the bath, closing her eyes.

(This was a good idea.) Dawn said, (I didn't notice how knotted up I was.)

(It's strange letting someone else move your body for you.) Tara said, (But it's not a bad feeling.)

Willow agreed, (It's relaxing once you get used to it.)

(We better be careful not to fall asleep.) Anya said woozily, (I'm getting sleepy.)

(But it won't do anything.) Tara said quietly as to not ruin the calm, (We've got Spike, remember? Drowning doesn't kill vampires, does it?)

(No.) Spike said slowly, (But it's very uncomfortable. We should just stay awake.)

Dawn opened her eyes slowly, sat up and leant over to the taps where several bottles were. She picked out three of them and placed them next to the bath for easier reach later on.

She picked up one of them and poured a dollop onto her hand.

(Uh. What are you doing?) Spike asked her.

(Shampooing and conditioning in three easy steps.) Dawn said back glibly and she started rubbing it into her hair.

(Oh. Okay. Just don't get it in your eyes.)

As she started her hair treatment regime, Xander asked her (How do exactly do you shampoo and condition in three steps? I only count two steps.)

Dawn explained it to him, (It's easy. I've got one shampoo, one conditioner and a pina colada scented three in one shampoo, conditioner and body wash.)

(So that's how you get your hair so shiny.) Anya said, taking notes.

(I thought it was a key thing.) Spike mumbled.

Dawn laughed, (What? The key has the supernatural power to dissolve the walls between realities and have shiny hair? It doesn't make a lot of sense.)

(Yes it does.) Spike told her, (Most vampires don't use hair products and a lot of them have great hair. I thought you just had really shiny hair. But this explains why you always smell like pina colada.)

(Ready?) Dawn asked the group, (I'm going to dunk.)

(Dunk?) Anya asked her, totally unready.

Instead of answering her, Dawn dunked herself under the water to wash off the shampoo.

Dawn reveled in the squeals of her family and friends.

Then she came up out of the water and wiped her eyes dry.

(DAWN!) Buffy yelled at her, (Warn us next time.)

Dawn laughed out loud then stopped when her chest detested such treatment.

"Oww." she groaned, putting a fist over her heart where it hurt the most.

When the pain subsided to a more tolerable level, she took away her hand and looked down at the wound. Surprised at what she saw.

The exit wound was completely sealed by a sickly white skin. It looked slightly septic but otherwise, it was healing just fine.

(Wow. It's almost completely healed.) Xander said, (Slayer healing RULES!)

(I don't heal that fast.) Buffy said.

(Neither.) Spike admitted.

(It must be the combination of slayer and vampire healing.) Willow conjectured, (Which makes sense seeing as I'm sure Buffy wouldn't be strong enough to throw that demon through the roof on her own.)

(I might.) Buffy told her, (Depends on how pissed off I am.)

(We had just gotten stabbed through the heart.) Willow reminded her.

An unexpected burst of glee came from Dawn and caught the others off guard, (Once we get dressed, let's try to pick up a car.)

(Dawn. We're not picking up a car.) Buffy told her, getting a grumble from her and Spike, (We are not Godzilla.)

"I wish we were Godzilla." Spike said out loud, (Now where's a vengeance demon when you need one?)

It got ripples of humor off the rest of the occupants and Buffy said (How to make bathtime fun. Just have a bath with six of your friends.)

An awkward silence reigned inside the mind that almost everyone paid heed to.

Dawn snorted, (Was it just me or did that just sound so wrong?)

Obliviously, she leant over the rim of the bath and picked up the conditioner.

The rest of the bath was uneventful as the group decided to enjoy the warmth instead of talking and Dawn decided to skip her usual body wash portion of her pina colada three in one hair treatment.

-----

After the bath, the decision of what to wear came up.

Spike wanted to wear his duster of course and he put his foot down on wearing a skirt as did Xander.

Xander was outvoted by the girls when he said they shouldn't wear a bra, since they were too uncomfortable.

Dawn was about to wear one of her own panties when Willow stopped her and told her to go into her room.

Dawn skipped through between her room and Willow's fast as if she didn't want to be seen doing it.

(Don't worry.) Willow told her, (There's no one around to see you walking around naked.)

(I know. It's just weird.) Dawn told her.

Willow walked over to her dresser and opened it slightly. There was a moment of hesitation then she drove a hand in and pulled out a single silk panty.

She wore it and adjusted it a little and asked Dawn, "Now doesn't that feel more comfortable?"

(As a rule, I don't buy silk.) Buffy said, (Too much wear and tear.)

Xander was feeling really uncomfortable with this new experience, (I won't complain as long as we don't wear lingerie. I have to put my foot down somewhere.)

(But it's okay for me to wear lingerie?) Anya asked him.

"Don't worry. I don't have any." Dawn told him, "Although. If you want to buy me some for my next birthday, I wouldn't say no."

Anya hemmed, (Xander. Was that appropriate?)

(No. I guess it wasn't.) Xander admitted.

Anya felt a little victorious that finally it was someone else's turn to be tactless.

(Umm. Aren't you going to tell her off?) Anya prodded Xander.

(Dawn. I hope that you will curtail such talk in the future.) Xander said plastically then asked Anya, (Was that okay?)

Anya beamed joy, (Yes. Very stiff and proper. I feel a whole lot better.)

While those two talked, Dawn's eyebrows were playing tug of war waiting for them to finish.

"Umm. Buffy. Can I use your clothes?"

Buffy mentally woke up, (For the last time - Grr. Okay. Just this once.)

"Yayyy!" Dawn squealed and started doing a little girly jump of joy which disturbed Spike, so she stopped.

(Killjoy.) Willow muttered to Spike.

Spike didn't project anything but Willow heard what he thought and screamed (Hey! How would you like it if I called you a dyke?!)

The body stopped and everyone turned inwardly to the fight.

(I didn't say anything.) A disgruntled Spike told her.

(But you thought it.) Willow told him.

(I think a lot of things.) Spike defended himself.

(That's true.) Tara told Willow, (Like what he wanted to ...)

Tara's voice trailed off but somehow Willow picked up on it and gasped.

(He wanted to WHAT?) She screamed, (Holy cow Spike! What's wrong with you?)

Spike cringed, (What are you two birds on about?)

Tara sighed, (Willow. He's a vampire. I guess it's natural for him to think things like that.)

(Uh. I don't mean to ruin this spat.) Xander interrupted them, (But Tara, did you just whisper to Willow? How did you do that?)

(It's easy. You don't use your inner voice. You just direct your thoughts towards them.)

Xander hummed slightly as he tried.

(Hey!) Anya chirped, (It works.)

A small rush of happiness came off Tara, (See. It's easy.)

Dawn had finished dressing in her sisters clothes then looked in the mirror and groaned, (Oh great. No reflection.)

(And once again, you suck, Spike.) Xander jabbed lightly.

(What? I saved all your lives just a few hours ago.)

(But what is our lives worth when we can't tell if we look good or not?) Xander asked with another joke.

Spike chuckled, (Don't worry. We look great because I'm here. I always look great.)

Buffy was hoping for an end of all this micro management. She was content with spending an hour dressing herself but dressing her sister was another matter. It was tiring business but at least Dawn didn't bring up accessorizing or makeup yet. That sort of thing must be hard to get right without a mirror.

After everything was said and done, Dawn was dressed in one of Buffy's tops, a clay colored number with lots of little tassels things coming off it that made it look sort of strange. It couldn't tell if it wanted to be a halter top or some sort of cowboy shirt.

Her legs were clad in Dawn's favorite pair of leather pants. The fact that they were her only pair didn't phase her.

Over all this, she wore Spikes duster after she dutifully cleaned the blood off it to Spike's direction.

Once she had gotten kitted out, they were feeling pretty good. The chest pains were almost gone.

(We're ready so lets go to LA now.) Buffy told the group.

(But we can't.) Spike told her.

Buffy grunted, (Not this again, Spike. I know you and Angel have some problems with another but-)

(N-No.) Tara stopped her, (It's not that. It's the sunlight.)

(The sunlight?) Buffy asked, looking out Dawn's window to see sunlight beaming through it, (Oh yeah. Vampire.)

(Hang on.) Xander argued, (Spike's a vampire but the rest of us aren't. That means we can walk around in the sunlight. Doesn't it?)

(Go ahead and try it then.) Spike challenged him then did an emotional 360, (No! wait! Don't try it! We'll burn alive, you nimrod!)

Xander rolled their eyes and held a hand out the window.

"See. We're not burning." Xander said smugly.

Then their hand caught on fire.

"Ow ow AHHH!!!" Dawn screamed, batting her hand to smother the flames.

"Bathroom." Buffy urged and the body went that way, struggling to put out it's hand.

The body turned on the cold tap hard and water shot out of the tap. No one really cared too much since it put out the fire.

Sighs were heard throughout the collective mind and slowly, Dawn turned the tap down, until it was just a steady stream cooling their burnt hand.

Spike chuckled despite the pain, (See, Xander. Sunlight bad. Water good.)

(Okay. I was wrong.) Xander admitted, (So what do we do until the sun goes down.)

Spike looked at the clock and said (We've missed Passions but the news will be on soon.)

(We could pack.) Willow suggested, (In case we need to spend a long time in LA.)

(Okay. Let's do that.) Spike said, already bored with watching water flow over their hand.

(Nope.) Dawn said strictly, (After being burnt you must run cool water over the burn for at five minutes.)

Spike groaned, (We're superpowered. We don't have to do stuff like that.)

Buffy hemmed, (We burnt our hand pretty bad. So lets do it.)

(Alright. I'll humor you.) Spike said sullenly.

(So what do vampires do waiting for the sun to come down?) Xander asked Spike to change the topic.

Spike caused the corners of their mouth to twitch into a smile and Willow told Xander (You don't want to know.)

-----

Four hours later they had run out of things to do and there were still two more hours of sunlight to go.

They had packed two bags of clothes, washed the dishes, washed the floor, cleaned up the basement a little and partially scrubbed the bath clean. Anything to keep their mind off it's current problem.

Right now Dawn was at the top of the stairs, leaning her head against a wooden support beam.

Her breathing was shallow, her skin was bright red and sweat was dripping off her as she struggled with the unwanted feelings.

"This can't be happening." Dawn groaned.

(I think it's normal for people to get certain feelings when they're so close together.) Anya said a little clinically, (It's natural.)

(So hot.) Tara said deliriously.

(We need to do something.) Willow said, (Otherwise, we're going to start making out with this wall.)

(It's simple. We need orgasms.) Anya told the group, (I'm only saying what no one else seems willing to say.)

(We just need something to do.) Buffy said, (Something to keep our mind off this.)

(Buffy.) Xander said tiredly, (Scrubbing the bath clean was too sexual for us. We're getting turned on by the smell of cleaning products and it's only getting worse.)

(Willow keeps a vibrator in her panties drawer.) Spike thought out loud.

Willow gasped (How did you know that?)

(I was .. I read your mind.) Spike told her.

Willow growled (No. You were looking for things to steal.)

Buffy growled with her, (Spike! It's bad enough that you steal my stuff but Willow's too?)

(You'd be surprised how much you can get for a slayers underwear on Ebay?!) Willow quoted Spike's own thoughts, (You can't be serious.)

Spike caved in, (This psychic trick is getting old fast.)

(I guess it's a good thing that only Willow and Tara seem to be able to do it.) Xander said, (Although, Willow seems to be better at it.)

(Um. I don't think so.) Tara said proudly, (I'm just keeping what I see to myself.)

(Why do you think this is? I mean, just Willow and Tara?)

(Must be a magic thing.) Xander said.

(I've done magic.) Buffy told Xander, (Remember that trance I did? If you want someone blank eyed and dead to the world, I'm your girl.)

(And I've done plenty of magic.) Anya said.

(Maybe it's because we're currently practicing.) Willow mused, (Well. Not me. But I was just a while ago.)

(Maybe it's because they're lesbians.) Spike said, (Oh come on. Like no one else was thinking it.)

(Actually, Spike.) Tara said a little timidly, (I don't think anyone else was. Xander was just thinking about lesbians period.)

(I can't help it.) Xander told them, (I've got an avid imagination.)

(Hello. Sidetracked easily) Anya asked the group, (Orgasms. Now.)

"This can't be happening." Dawn groaned again.

(It could be worse.) Spike said.

"How?!" Dawn demanded.

Spike wasn't really sure until he said (At least the watcher isn't in here too.)

(Thank god for that.) Xander agreed.

(Hey, I like Giles.) Anya yelled back.

Xander pleaded apologetic, (So do I, honey, but let's face it. He's .. British.)

It was Spikes turn to say (Hey!)

(Sorry, Spike.) Xander said artificially, (Didn't see you there.)

"Arr screw it." Dawn muttered, "So Willow's panty drawer?"

(Dawn!) Buffy said shocked, (You can't seriously be considering-)

"Hell yeah." Dawn cut her off and stormed into Willow's room.

The flipped a bunch of panties and found the giant phallic vibrator and stalled.

"Wow. That's a .. Gosh, Willow." Dawn mumbled.

(I'm not so sure about this.) Xander said, starting to freak.

(Relax, Xander.) Anya told him, (We'll be gentle.)

Shrugging off Spike's jacket, Dawn made quick work of her pants and after a moments deliberation stripped entirely naked.

Lying back on Willow's bed, she dialed the device up all the way and rested it at her entrance.

(Holy shit!) Spike cried.

This didn't put Dawn off and she slowly started to probe herself with the vibrator.

Even before she really got it into her, she came. Her pussy was practically throbbing itself to orgasm before she even got her pants off.

She cried out and shoved it in all the way, causing her to bend in the middle in pain but this only seemed to make it more intense.

Rolling over, she took her hands off the vibrator, leaving it in and laid on her side just soaking in the good vibrations as she came down.

In the mind, Dawn noticed how people were mentally pairing up to support another. Willow and Tara, Xander and Anya, Buffy and Spike.

Dawn wondered idly why Buffy would go with Spike but then it was obvious, this wasn't the sort of thing you would share with your sister and he was the only one left.

Before she could put much thought on this another rise was on the horizon and coming at them fast.

She gripped the base of the vibrator and started thrusting it in and out of her. Before long, she came hard and it threw the mind into tatters with ecstasy.

Afterwards, Dawn pulled the vibrator out and Willow guided her to sleep in her bed.

Before long, a gentle welcome sleep overcame them.

-----

(Dawn.) Buffy's voice came through carefully, (Are you okay?)

(Oh yeah. I'm great.) Dawn smiled a big satisfied grin and stretched, (Forget lingerie. Get me one of those things for my next birthday.)

(That was .. different.) Xander said with care that equaled Buffy.

Spike laughed, (I could get used to it.)

Dawn got up, a lot more relaxed than she had been before and said "I'm with Spike. That was great."

(What I want to know is what brought that on?) Buffy asked the group, (I know we were a little hot under the collar but why did we have to do that?)

Disbelief ran through the rest of the team and Willow told Buffy, (I don't think I've ever been that horny before. No offense, Tara.)

(None taken.) Tara told her, (I've never felt anything like that before either. It was like becoming an animal.)

(We could've held off.) Buffy said guiltily.

"I couldn't of." Dawn said, surprised that her sister was so repressed.

(Holy cow.) Xander said, (Buffy. Was that normal for you? -THAT- amount of stress.)

(It was a little more than I was used to but I guess.)

Dawn gagged, (You can't be serious. Must be a slayer thing. No wonder Faith was such a slut. Oh god. I'm going to turn into Faith.)

Buffy shook their head, (No! No one is turning into no one.)

(I remember Faith.) Spike said, (Now -she- was fun.)

(You've never met her.) Buffy told him.

(That's not true.) Spike said, happy to spring a surprise on her, (We met when she did that body swap with you. I should have known it was someone else behind the wheel.)

(You never told me that. What did she do?) Buffy asked him.

(Not much. I thought you were drunk.)

(Okay. Will.) Buffy called to her, (What did Faith really do?)

(Umm.) Willow turned uncertain, (I'm not telling you.)

Buffy had the body gasp, (Why not?)

(Tara and I have been talking and we decided it's not fair to share other peoples thoughts. Some things should be kept secret.)

Dawn sighed with relief, (Phew.)

Buffy mentally turned to Dawn, (Dawnie? Is there something you want to tell me?)

Dawn shook her head, (N-No.)

(We'll talk about that later.) Tara told Dawn.

Dawn gulped and nodded, keeping the others mystified.

With talking out of the road, Dawn finally got out of the bed and noticed the vibrator on the floor, broken.

Dawn blinked, (Uh. When did that break?)

(When we gripped it too hard.) Spike told her, (I think you can remember when that was.)

Dawn fidgeted slightly, (Uh. Sorry for breaking your.. thing.)

Willow dismissed her guilt, (It's okay. I can always order another.)

Dawn picked up the clothes that were left on the floor and out of the blue, Xander started talking, (I'm not an expert on this but I thought Dawn was a virgin.)

Dawn eye's popped out, (I am. That.. thing doesn't count!)

(Oh. So you lost your.. thing with another.. thing?) Xander asked her awkwardly.

Dawn blinked, trying to work out what he just said and shook her head, (I lost my .. thing when I fell off my bike.)

Buffy laughed, (Yeah. I remember that. We went to the hospital. Even when the doctors told Mom that everything was okay, Mom wouldn't stop crying. At the time, I didn't get what the big deal was. Dawn was either fine or she wasn't, right?)

(It must be hard for a mother.) Tara said slowly, almost to herself (Knowing that your child is growing up and one day will do .. things.)

Spike chuckled, (I guess it's the same as kids finding out that their parents still have sex.)

That got a shiver down the spine and Spike laughed a little victory.

Dawn ruffled her hair a bit and said, "Okay. We have a quick shower then we go to Angels."

(But we need to go by our place first.) Anya said, (I think maybe I left the heater running.)

(And miss kitty fantastico needs feeding.) Willow added to the list.

(And I didn't lock up completely.) Xander started but was quickly cut off by Dawn.

(It's going to be a long night.)

* * *

Continued in part two.


	2. Part two

Dawn of the Dawn, part 2.

* * *

Later that night on the streets of LA. It was more like early morning. The sun would set soon and Spike was pushing them to get inside.

Buffy was driving the car hard and fast. We're talking prime time breaking news of a car trying to outdrive the local police force and she was doing it with miss kitty fantastico riding in the passenger seat.

(Aww. It's her first big adventure.) cooed Tara, along with a string of baby sounds.

Dawn's brow knitted together, (I've been to LA before. Get over it.)

(We were talking about miss Kitty Fantistico.) Willow laughed, (Aww. She does the most adorable thing when Buffy swerves the car... Actually, Buff. Could you slow down a little?)

(Uh. Guy's. We're not looking at the cat.) Dawn said, her eyes glued to the road, (So how could you tell what adorable thing it does.)

(Yes we are...) Willow stopped talking for a second and said, (Okay. I'm going to try something, so slow down for a second Buff.)

Buffy groaned and slowed down to the speed limit.

Everyone waited until for Willow to do her thing.

(You can start any time.) Buffy told her, growing impatient.

(Umm. I already did it.) Willow told her back.

Buffy raised an eyebrow, (What did you do?)

(I looked all over the place really fast. You didn't even notice did you?)

(No. I've been looking straight ahead all the time.) Buffy said, then frowned, (Hang on. Human eyes don't work like that. They have a narrow field of vision. Everything else comes through out of focus.)

(I've read that the eyes really are mirrors into the soul.) Tara told the group, (Since we have more than one soul here, maybe we have more than one set of eyes.)

Xander was the first to point out (Spike doesn't have a soul.)

(But I'm not exactly a mindless machine either, ponce.) Spike spat back.

(So it doesn't matter where I look when Buffy is driving?) Dawn asked.

(Nope.) Willow told her, (Buffy can look wherever she wants.)

(Oh good. So I don't need to watch Buffy driving.) Dawn said happily and closed her eyes.

(ARGGGH!) Several of the people screamed and forced her eyelids back open.

Buffy regained control of the vehicle but not before getting horned by other drivers on the road.

(Dawn!) Buffy and Anya scolded her.

(Sorry.)

(Ooh. We're coming up to Angels. Just turn right here.) Willow told Buffy.

(I know where it is.) Buffy told her, (No backseat thinking, please.)

Buffy parked the car, a little harshly but with faultless skill then let Dawn take back control.

She leant over and picked up Kitty Fantistico from where she fell on the floor and got out of the car.

"Okay. next time, we'll decide who drives before we start driving." Xander said out loud.

(Can I drive?) Dawn asked.

(You don't have a license.) Buffy told her for the third time that day, (And I'm obviously the best choice for driver. I've got enhanced reflexes.)

(Buffy, when you drive. You scare us.) Anya said outright.

(Oh. That was fear? I thought it was motion sickness.)

In front of the hotel, Dawn looked up at it.

"Here's the place, kitty." Dawn said, stroking the kitten's ears. It purred, glad that the world had stopped jerking it around.

The lights were off and the place looked deserted.

(Maybe they're out.) Buffy suggested.

Dawn squinted and looked through the front doors into the foyer. There was a big red pentagram marked the center of it.

(Vampire vision is SO cool.) she squealed with glee.

(Something isn't right.) Tara told the group, (I can feel it.)

(Yeah. Someone's been throwing around some really dark magic.) Willow said, becoming a bit on edge.

Spike chuckled and told her, (You feel like you need a cigarette.)

Willow grumbled slightly, (It's not so bad actually. Not as bad as it has been.)

Dawn could now identify one of the feelings she was getting from Willow. Addiction. Spike was giving it off too but to a much smaller degree. What didn't make sense was why Buffy had old scars from it.

(Dawn?) Tara's voice came through quietly and Dawn could tell it was only her hearing it.

(Yeah?)

(Buffy. You're wondering about her, aren't you?)

(Yeah.)

(She had never nurtured an addiction but you might remember how she went to a clinic before coming to Sunnydale.)

(Umm. Yeah. I remember.)

(They gave her drugs there. When she left, her body felt some withdrawal symptoms. That's what you were feeling from her. She's not an alcoholic or anything.)

(Thanks Tara.) Dawn told her, (But I thought you weren't going to spread peoples secrets around.)

(Buffy wanted me to tell you. It's not something she's comfortable talking about. She thought that if she told you, it would sound like she's covering something up.)

(Hey. What's the hold up?) Anya asked, (We're freezing our ass off here.)

Xander laughed, (No we aren't.)

(But I'm bored.) Anya said bitterly.

"So. What do we do?" Dawn asked the group.

Buffy reached out and tried the door handle. It was locked.

(Before we do anything else, we should kit up.) Buffy told Dawn and directed her back to the car.

Opening the side door, she placed miss Kitty on the passenger seat.

"Don't worry. You've be safe here." Willow told the kitten who didn't want to go back into the car.

After they closed the door, the cat mewed pathetically and pawed at the window.

Tara and Willow's heart stopped for a beat and they both said (Awwwww.)

(Yes, yes. It's very furry.) Anya said, breaking the moment.

Walking around to the back, they opened the trunk and uncovered an array of weapons.

Buffy pulled out a stake automatically.

(Umm. Wouldn't a sword be better?) Dawn asked, (A stake doesn't inspire much confidence in me.)

Xander agreed, (There could be anything in there Buffy. A sword would be a better option since you can use it against vampires too.)

(Guys, I've killed plenty of demons with a stake.) Buffy told them.

(But a sword is cooler.) Dawn argued.

Buffy gave in and picked up a sword instead, (And who can argue with logic like that?)

Walking back to the entrance Anya asked (Can I kick the door in? It'll be funny.)

(I know how to get in.) Spike said, tilting the head back to look up at an open window on the third floor.

(Whoa. Hang on.) Xander told him, (You can't be serious.)

(Definitely.) Spike told him, stepping back to get a running jump.

He ran forwards and bounced off the ground, high up, way high up, like he was coming off a giant trampoline.

It was like a one way roller coaster ride. An instant rush.

As the window came rushing towards them, Spike gripped the window sill as they came up to it and pulled himself in while he still had some upwards momentum. Inside, he landed on his feet almost silently.

(WHOA!) Tara said awed, (We should do that more often.)

Xander laughed, (Willow. I think your girlfriends getting the hang of this action thing.)

(That was sooo cool.) Dawn said, (For a second, it was like we were flying.)

(That was just too easy.) Spike said, grinning, (Thanks for the boost, Buffy.)

(Welcome.) Buffy told him, satisfied with a jump well jumped.

The scanned the room. It was dark but they didn't have a problem seeing with Spike's enhanced vision.

Burns and earthquake damage marred the wall. The place was a mess.

Aside from that, it looked almost cheery. A burnt babies cot stood to the side. It looked like it was once a nursery.

(Not what I was expecting.) Buffy said, filing away the information for future use.

(What's that smell?) Tara asked the group, sniffing the air.

(That's Angel. He's been here recently.)

Buffy smiled, (The scared thing is, I actually knew that. He smells like hair gel.)

They walked out of the room and towards the stairs.

(It's quiet.) Xander said spookily, (Too quiet.)

(Ssh.) Spike told him.

(Be wary wary qwiet.) Xander added to Spikes sentence, (I'm hunting wabbits.)

(Xander.) Anya hissed, (Be serious for once.)

(Sorry.)

Dawn crept down the stairs, listening for noise.

There were noises throughout the hotel. Angel had a small rat problem and there was talking coming from the foyer so they headed down towards there.

In the foyer, Dawn spotted a soft light coming from one the office.

(Whoa. Whatever happened here. It wasn't good.) Tara told the group.

Meanwhile, Willow's hunger pains were ticking off like gigameter.

Dawn let Buffy take control and her muscles tensed in preparation for battle.

She tried the handle but it was jammed. So she tried a bit harder and broke the lock.

"Oops." Buffy said, "Butter fingers."

(You did that on purpose.) Spike told her with pride in his voice.

Inside the office, she saw a thin bookish looking girl with of all things, a book. She put down the book and stared at Dawn, unsure what to do.

Spike smiled, looking Fred over, (Mmm.)

(Spike!) Buffy warned him.

(But she's so delicious. Just look at that neck. It just goes on forever.)

Then Buffy saw something on the wall behind Fred so she threw her sword to intercept it as it leaped, catching it in mid air.

(I can't believe that actually worked.) Tara said, blown away.

The slightly glowing slug type creature which had attacked Fred was cut in two and fallen on the floor. It's glow faded out slowly as it oozed sticky goop.

"Now that is one reason why stakes are better than swords." Buffy said out loud as she wrenched the sword out of the wall.

"Come on. A stake has no mass to it." Xander told her, "Dusting a vamp by throwing a stake never works."

"I've made it work." Buffy told him.

"Same." Spike added, "You're only saying that because you can't get it up in a fight."

While they talked out loud to each other, Fred backed off into the corner scared out of her wits.

Dawn saw this and said, "Hi. I'm Dawn. There's no need to be afraid. I just saw that thing creeping up on you. Thought I would help."

Fred called out, "Gunn!"

"Coming." a male voice came from down a hallway.

After a few seconds, Gunn came out pointing a torch at Dawn.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"Dawn. I'm looking for Angel." Dawn told him, shielding her eyes from the torch.

"We're kinda busy right now. How the hell did you get in?"

"I climbed through an open window. You left it open."

Gunn looked a bit closer then abruptly backed off, pointing his sword towards Dawn, "What the hell are you?"

"Umm. That's complicated. But I'm human, mostly. Angel and us used to work together in Sunnydale."

"Really?" Gunn asked, unsure of what to do.

"Is there something on my face?" Dawn asked him, prodding her forehead to check if she had vampire ridges, "Nope. No lumpies."

Gunn squinted at Dawn for a second then said, "Okay. We'll take you to Angel. Fred? You ready?"

Fred nodded, picked up her sword and followed Gunn.

"You go first." Gunn told Dawn, making sure the sharp end of his sword stood between him and her, "That way."

"I think she's okay." Fred told him, "She saved me from one of those glowing jelly babies."

Gunn looked at Fred and lowered his sword, "All right. Follow me."

"So what's with the lack of illumination?" Dawn asked him, "I take it we're not playing a game of lights out."

-----

Wolfram and Hart. Lilah's office.

"Bio-plasmic infection." Lilah read out loud from her laptop as Gavin walked in. She looked towards him and added "Speaking of."

"Did you get the email?" Gavin asked her.

"The one marked confidential? The one I had to use a magic bug to open? The one that official you shouldn't even know about?"

"There must have been a glitch in the server." Gavin said, sitting down on her desk like he owned the place, "So it looks like Angel's hotel has had some uninvited guests."

"Interesting. Why would I care again?"

"Did you read all of the email?" Gavin asked her like she was a schoolgirl who forgot to finish her homework.

She looked back to the laptop and blinked, "No. That can't be right."

"And then there were two." Gavin said with a grin.

Dawn stood up, feeling that she should have guard beat and kill someone to death, "There's was another vampire with soul out there? And.. they both knew each other in Sunnydale? Goddamn it. How come we didn't know?"

Gavin shrugged, "Don't ask me. I only work here."

-----

"This place really is a lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside." Dawn muttered as she walked into the ballroom.

When she saw Angel, she also felt Buffy's heart miss a few beats while Spike looked on and groaned.

Angel, Lorne, Groosalug and Cordelia all stared at Dawn.

"Uh who's this?" Lorne asked them.

Cordy squinted in the dim light at Dawn and gasped, "Oh my god. Dawn? What are you doing here. What happened to your eyes?"

"There was a little accident in Sunnydale." Dawn said slowly as she absent mindedly stroked her hair.

Spike growled at Buffy (Did you just preen yourself in front of him?)

(So what if I did?) Buffy challenged Spike.

"Buffy. Is she-" Angel stopped talking suddenly and looked at Dawn like he didn't know her, "She's a vampire."

Everyone held their swords up, except for Groo who held up his battle axe.

"Whoa! Hold your horses here" Dawn told them, "About the vampire thing. It's not what it looks like."

"Uh-huh." Gunn grunted, "Think you can just come in here and pay back an old debt with my boss, huh? Ain't gonna happen."

"I've got a soul!" Dawn blurted out with Spike laughing out loud inside her head, "Several, in fact. That's the whole problem."

"Is that why her eyes are so scary?" Fred asked Angel.

Angel stopped and studied her, almost like he was window shopping for clothes, "When you say you have several, what do you mean? One is good enough for me."

"Well. I'm Dawn but I'm also Buffy and Spike and Xander and Anya and Willow and Tara. Although, you probably don't know Anya or Tara, do you?"

"I am confused." Groo spoke his mind, "How can one person be many people?"

Dawn wetted her lips, they were feeling dry for some reason and continued "Anya, who used to be a demon but now is totally human, had an old friend come to town who did a magic spell on us. Now we're all trapped in the same body."

(You're using the wrong terminology.) Anya chided her, (You should let me do this, I'm much better at explaining.)

(Anya. Let her do it.) Buffy told her, (It's punishment for getting us into this situation.)

(But it's painful watching her talk.)

Spike growled, "Come on Buffy. Why are we pussy footing around this poofter for? We can take him easy."

"I don't think fighting would be a good idea right now." Buffy told him, just as loud as he spoke.

"You just don't know how vampires interact. Beating each other black and blue is how we say I love you." Spike said, trying to win them over, "Angel knows this."

"Shutup Spike." the body hissed under it's breath.

"Oh-kay." Lorne said, "This is just becoming freakshow weird. And I'm talking demon freakshow here kiddies, which is as weird as it gets."

Dawn winced, "We're still working on co-operation."

"Hey. Isn't that Spike's jacket?" Angel asked Dawn who nodded.

Dawn looked to where flames were roaring up from the kitchen and asked "What's with the flames?"

Angel explained, "The hotel is infected with these glowing jellyfish creatures. They need a lot of water so we're trying to heat up the hotel and dry them out."

"Yeah. I got one of them." Buffy told Angel, "Hey. Shouldn't you seal the hotel up first?"

"We did." Cordelia told her.

Spike smirked and Dawn said "You missed the open window I used to get in here."

"Where is this window?" Groo asked, "I shall seal that portal."

Dawn looked at him like he was an alien then gave directions, "It's on the third floor. Umm. It looked trashed. There was a burnt baby crib."

"Connor's room. I'll get it." Angel said sadly then turned to Dawn "You keep safe here."

Dawn laughed, "Oh come on. You think I'm scared of a few glow in the dark slugs?"

Angel faltered in mid step and looked at Dawn asking "When you speak. Who exactly is talking?"

"Dawn mostly. That time it was Buffy."

Angel nodded almost unnoticeably, "I'll be back soon."

Then he was gone, leaving everyone else in a room that was becoming very warm.

"Hi. I'm Lorne." Lorne said with a showroom smile.

"I am the Groosalug." the Groosalug said proudly then turned slightly to Cordelia and added "But you may call me Groo."

"Gunn." Gunn almost grunted.

"I'm Fred." Fred said, waving like a dork.

"And you already know me." Cordelia said bored, "So how are things in Sunnydale anyway?"

Dawn shrugged, "On the demon front, nothing too bad yet. But come winter, I'm sure that will change."

Cordelia sighed "Yeah. I know how that is."

"Hey." Gunn cut in, "Cords been telling some pretty tall stories about Sunnydale and I'm just wondering. How bad is it there?"

Dawn rubbed her chin, "Did she tell you about the Master? Who was like Angel's grandsire?"

Gunn nodded.

"And how Angel tried to end the world?"

Gunn nodded again.

"How about graduation? With the fifty foot long giant snake demon?"

Gunn frowned this time, "That actually happened?"

Dawn nodded back happily, "And since Cordelia left town well where to start. Oooh! Cordy, you missed Dracula."

Cordelia blinked, "Dracula?"

Gunn laughed, "You can't expect me to believe that."

"Gunn." Lorne asked for his attention, "I know for a fact that he exists. I even got him to sign a book for me."

"He signs stuff?" Buffy asked Lorne, "Why didn't I think of that? Oh, that's right. I was too busy shoving a stake through his heart."

Gunn's mouth dropped, "You dusted DRACULA? Whoa."

"Twice actually. He didn't stick around for a third time." Buffy said, shrugging Dawn's shoulders, "And then there was Adam. A Frankenstein creation built by the US government. And Glorificus."

"Hey. I've heard of her." Lorne said, "Crazy hell god, right? How did you handle her without getting yourself killed."

"Buffy actually did die but we brought her back." Dawn quickly changed topics and asked "So. What's been happening here? Like, what's with the big pentagram made out of human blood which is just glowing with bad juju?"

"Umm." Cordelia actually looked embarrassed, something the scoobies never thought they would see, "That's a complicated question."

Dawn couldn't help but smile as she asked "Then why don't you break it down for me?"

-----

"What do you think the odds are that we've been working with the wrong vampire all this time?" Gavin asked Lilah as he walked into her office.

Lilah looked up at him scornful, "Do I look I care right now? I'm trying to save that hotel from going the way of the wooly mammoth. They're both in there so we might as well save both of them before Linwood finds out."

"A little late but okay. Have fun."

Lilah pauses reading a schematic and looks at Gavin, "What did you say?"

"Uh, have fun?"

She turns to the black-ops team that were stationed in her office for new orders, "Out."

They leave and she stands up to look down on Gavin, "I thought you said Linwood was unreachable."

"He is. Except for the emergency cell phone which he keeps on him at all times. He did give you the number... didn't he?"

"Whatever. I've got to go save my mortal enemy and no doubt a mortal enemy to be."

Gavin sighs and makes a show of it.

"What? What!?"

"Not that I'm questioning your loyalty but are you sure that's what Linwood wants? I'm just saying Angel kidnapped and tortured him. It's natural that he would have some unresolved issues with the guy who nearly stuck a spike through his eye."

"What did he say?"

"Let'em die. Let'em -all- die."

"Maybe the old man has guts after all."

"Oh.. And there was the part about you overstepping your bounds and your unauthorized activities will be docked from your pay and.. You know. Stuff like that. That there will be a day of reckoning when he gets back and deals with you. I don't know what he meant by that but I'm not ahead of the game."

-----

"Explain it again. Just one more time." Dawn asked Cordelia.

"Wolfram and Hart-" Cordelia started.

"The evil law firm?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. Wolfram and Hart brought Darla back from the dead. For some reason he won't talk about, Angel and Darla did the dirty and got Darla pregnant-"

"But she was a vampire, right?" Dawn asked for the third time, just to make sure.

"Yes. Darla the evil vampire bitch was pregnant. She staked herself which dusted her but left Connor alive. A crazy vampire hunter called Holtz nabbed Connor and jumped into a portal to a hell dimension called Quor-toth. Angel tried to open another portal to go there and get him back. It didn't work. Instead, we have these puppet master wannabe night lights."

Dawn nodded then shook her head, "Nope. It's still making my head hurt thinking about it."

"You're not the only one." Cordelia admitted.

Dawn flinched and stood up off the chair, asking the group "Did anyone else feel that?"

"Feel what?" Cordelia asked.

"Something is coming." Dawn said, channeling Willow, "This place. It's warming up like the hellmouth right before it pops it's cork."

"That can't be a good thing." Gunn muttered out loud.

"I hope there won't be a portal." Fred squeaked, "I don't like those."

"Remind me never to go to Sunnydale." Lorne asked no one, "I haven't even been there and I don't like it already."

Dawn chuckled, "You wouldn't fit in."

Gunn argued that "He doesn't fit in here."

Lorne smiled "But then who does fit in LA? Only those that don't fit in anywhere else, that's who."

Angel walked in, "How's everyone holding up?"

"While you were gone the bugs have swamped the ballroom. They broke up out of the floorboards." Fred told him, looking through the glass section in the doors from the kitchen to the ballroom, "They're multiplying, fast. If we don't do something soon there will be too many to handle."

"Yeah. You should do that. Something." Lorne said, patting Angel on the shoulders.

"I've got a crazy idea." Dawn said, Xander speaking for her.

Angel and the gang look at her.

With a smile, Dawn said "Remember graduation?"

Angel looked at Dawn askew then his eye's bugged out, "No way. There is no way you're doing that."

"Got any better ideas?"

"Well. Yes. How about one where we don't kill ourselves horribly."

"We can limit the destruction to this part of the hotel."

"It's not like we're using it anyway." Cordelia pointed out.

"But.. This could go horribly wrong. Remember that it's day outside. I can't run for cover when the roof falls in."

Dawn frowned, "It's day already? Hmm. Well. Not to worry. Xander and Willow are on the case working out the logistics. It's all in the timing."

"What are they planning?" Groo asked, turning to Cordelia.

"I'd like to know to know that too." Gunn added.

"I think they want to blow up the hotel." Cordelia explained.

"Like on the silvery screen?" Groo asked her, "I thought that was make-believe."

Dawn squinted at Groo, "Is someone going to tell me what's with him? or am I going to have to keep guessing?"

"He's from out of town." Lorne explained, "My home dimension actually. Pylea."

"Nice place?" Buffy smalltalked.

"Not really."

"I'm not so sure about this." Gunn said his mind, "And I'm pretty sure Angel doesn't have insurance on this place."

"We'll do it." Angel told the group, "We can't have these things spreading."

Dawn moved to the gas burners and turned them off, along with the stoves. Fishing through a maintenance cupboard, she fished out a long water hose. Following Xander and Willows instructions she fixed the hose to one of the gas outlets. Due to the hot flames it had been producing it was still quite hot and the hose sealed itself snugly to it.

"You guys, get out of here. Angel, there's a sewer exit, right?"

Angel shook his head at her, "This is my mess. If anyone is going to towering inferno the hotel, it should be me."

Buffy shook Dawn's head back at him, "No. I'm faster than you. You might get caught in the blast."

"I know this hotel better than you. You might get lost."

"Angel. Don't argue. You know I can kick your ass if I have to."

Gunn leant over to Cordelia and asked "Can she really?"

She replied with a whisper, "Buffy did once."

"Whoa. But she's so small."

"Actually, Buffy is even smaller."

Buffy gave Cordelia a frown, "You know we can hear you whispering, right? Now everyone, get out of her now. The sooner we do this, the better."

Angel gave her the directions to follow them out then everyone else piled out, leaving her to her duty.

She broke the glass panel on the door to the ballroom and piled the end of the hose through it. Then she turned on the gas, filling the ballroom with it.

For a minute, she waited.

The thing the fang gang didn't know was Buffy lied. She didn't really have a way to control how big the explosion would be. To set it off, she just placed a chair leg onto a stove element and waited for it to start burning. By that time, there would be more than enough gas to take out the infection in the ballroom.

(This had better work.) Spike said, gritting their teeth.

(It'll work fine.) Buffy said, expecting the worse.

Then they barreled through a pair of double doors, running for the sewer exit.

(Wow, we can run fast.) Anya noted, (Buffy. Have you ever thought about the Olympics before?)

Buffy didn't dignify her with an answer, too busy running for her life.

She turned right then left then broke a door off it's hinges when she tried to turn the handle but missed and her hand broke straight through it. Through the door, she jumped down a flight of stairs and landed next to the exit hatch. She pulled it open and jumped through in perfect time.

The gas took that as a cue to set off, the shortwaves knocked her off the ladder she was climbing down and she pratfell into the sewer.

Getting up, Dawn rubbed her ass which wasn't as sore as she thought it would be.

(Next time, I'm driving.) she told her sister.

But this conversation had to wait until later. They metal clanging against stone. There was a fight on down the tunnel.

Buffy got up, readied her sword and ran towards it.

What she saw wasn't good.

The glowing slug slash jellyfish were already in the sewers. They weren't contained at all.

Trapped between the burning remains of their headquarters and the bioluminescent pestilence, the fang gang struggled to survive.

Buffy knew there were too many. She knew they would lose someone and it fueled her rage.

With reckless abandon, she rushed in with her sword, swiping and cleaving through transparent flesh and stone like they were one in the same.

Cordy goes down, struggling with one of the squids which had gotten it's tentacles around her throat and was trying to force it's way into her.

From deep inside her, she started to glow. The glow quickly grew until it was a sun and everyone shielded their eyes.

"Cordy." Angel yelled.

A wind rushed through the tunnel and then Cordelia exploded into a thousand beams of light, each one targeting a different creature like a cloud of blinding hot surface to air missiles.

After the light died down, everyone stared.

The slugs were gone and everyone seemed okay.

"What the hell was that?" Lorne asked.

"Cordelia. That was Cordelia." Angel said, smiling slightly.

"You are truly a goddess." Groo said, helping her off the ground with a devoted puppy dog look to his eyes.

"I'll feel more like one after I've had a shower." Cordelia said, hugging him.

"Since when could Cordelia do things like that?" Willow asked, "I know it's been a long time but that was intense."

Cordelia smirked, "I've changed a lot since highschool. Now I'm part demon."

"What type?" Anya asked.

"I really don't know." Cordelia said with a shrug then turned back to Groo, "Now. Let's go have that shower and afterwards, maybe you could massage my schlug-tee."

At everyone's look, she explained, "It's a muscle in my neck. I guess we know where everyone's head is today."

"In the sewers?" Lorne asked, smiling.

The trudge back to the sewer entrance was slow. The psychological and physical toll of the night had taken it's toll.

"Hey, Dawn, uh, Buffy, uh, energizer bunny. Whoever. I can believe that you kicked Angel's ass once. Those were some smooth moves coming from someone with multiple personality disorder."

Buffy wasn't sure how to take this, "Thanks?"

"Any time." Gunn replied.

Angel opened the hatch slightly and looked through. He sniffed and smelt smoke but it seemed safe and didn't hear anything burning anymore.

He flipped the lid and came up and everyone else followed.

Wallpaper was still smoldering and flaking off the walls but it looked like whatever fire had happened, it had blown itself out.

"I thought it would still be burning." Gunn muttered.

"It must have blown itself out once the gas main shut off valve kicked in." Willow told him.

"Maybe we should call the fire department." Fred said, uncertainly.

"I'm on it." Angel said, trudging off to a phone.

Walking towards the foyer, Dawn stopped as Buffy's slayer radar started doing backflips, trying to get their attention.

(That feels like PMS.) Anya laughed, (PMS is your secret weapon?)

Buffy smirked, (That's what I asked when I was first told. But seriously. This can't be good.)

(It's not.) Tara told her, (Something bad is about to happen.)

(I can feel it too. It's the pentagram.) Willow backed up Tara.

"Guys." Dawn said loudly, "Something's happening with the big blood stain."

Angel came back into the room to see arcs of electricity flicker through the air and the big fat honking demon that followed.

Xander was sure he recognized it from one of his hellspawn comic books.

But before he got a chance to study it further, a teenage boy covered in tattered animal hides fell through on it's back and decapitated it.

Everyone stares in shock as the kid lifts his arm with what looks like a stone age version of a three barreled grenade launcher on it.

"Hi Dad." Connor said.

Connor launches two stakes from the three barreled monstrosity on his arm and Angel spins to avoid them. One he bats away.

While this is going on, Groo throws his axe at Connor who spins and deflects it in almost the exact same was as Angel.

"Interesting." Connor said, whether or not he believed it was we would never know by his face.

"My God. Connor. It's you." Angel said, floored by the discovery.

But before anyone else said anything meaningful, Dawn came out of nowhere and decked Connor across the jaw, knocking him clean out.

(See. I told you that would be easy.) Spike told them.

(It was a lucky shot.) Buffy told him but was secretly impressed.

Dawn looked at Angel, who was now staring at her, and she asked him "Friend of yours?"

"That's Connor, isn't it?" Cordelia asked Angel who nodded.

"Isn't Connor supposed to be a baby?" Dawn asked with a look of confusion which quickly turned to anger "And how could you sleep with Darla? What's you're malfunction, Angel?"

"I- uh." Angel stammered. It was obvious to him that it was Buffy who was talking.

Cordelia stood in front of him as if to take a bullet and told Dawn, "Relax. We already gave him the third degree for that."

"How come he's so old?" Gunn asked, looking at the unconscious Connor.

"Temporal dilation." Fred told him, "In different dimensions, time occurs at different speeds. What was only a few days for us must have been eighteen years for him."

"And they say kids don't learn anything at school nowadays." Lorne said.

Fred frowned, "I didn't learn that school."

Dawn shook her head woefully as Willow took control, "She learnt about quantum mechanics on the street. This is what's wrong with this country. Juvenile delinquency."

Gunn chuckled, "Hey and she's funny too. Fred being a delinquent. Angel, how come you never have your friends from Sunnydale come over?"

Angel shrugged, "I came to LA to give them some space."

Connor stirred on the ground and Spike quickly bent over and gave him another whack, knocking him out again.

"Hey!" Angel yelled, "If you keep doing that, you'll give him brain damage."

Spike, still reigning control said "I don't like him. He's got beady eyes. Just like Angel."

Dawn's face looked surprised and she said "That was Spike... And I think you have beautiful eyes... Bloody!"

Dawn closed her eyes as Spike and Buffy wrestled for control.

(Guys! Stop it) Dawn shouted then stumbled a little bit, holding her face as a pain struck through her head, "Ow!"

"Dawn?" Cordelia said quietly, touching her shoulder.

"Shut up!" Dawn shouted out loud and the two stopped struggling.

Cordelia flinched back as she saw that Dawn had a vampire game face on.

"Damn!" Gunn spoke for the group.

Cordelia spoke hesitantly and asked Dawn "Are you okay?"

"Spike and Buffy are a headache." Dawn nodded and Anya added "Literally."

Dawn prodded her forehead and said "Wow. I've got a bumpy forehead. Don't I? This feels weird."

(I don't want this!) Xander shouted, (How do you turn it off.)

(I agree. It's icky.) Anya seconded.

(Just relax.) Spike told them, emotionally drained from his bout with Buffy, (It will go away once you relax.)

(I am relaxed!) Xander said frantically, (Totally relaxed!)

(Dawn. This is not cool.) Buffy told her sister.

(Huh? I thought you couldn't do the mind reading thing.)

(I didn't have to.)

"So what do we do with Peter Pan?" Gunn asked Angel about Connor.

Angel rubbed his chin, "We can't just tie him up."

"Why not?" Dawn asked, "We tie up Spike all the time. Sometimes we use shackles. We thought about bringing a few pairs but figured you've got your own set."

Angel looked at Dawn like she was insane, "We're talking about my son here."

"Who obviously wants you dead, dead boy." Xander told him back, "You know, I don't remember you being this dumb in Sunnydale. As I recall, you at least had a basic grasp of logic."

"That was someone new." Lorne whispered to Gunn, "And I don't think he likes Angel.

"Xander." he told them curtly, "Pleased to meet you."

"Weird name." Gunn muttered.

Dawn blinked, "This coming from the guy calling himself a firearm?"

Gunn groaned, "It's my name. Gunn. Two N's."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No big."

The group spent of a moment of silence, waiting for Angel.

"Okay. We'll chain him up in the basement." Angel gave in, "Dawn and company. You can stay here if you want. Just pick out a key from the registry."

"Thanks." Dawn said brightly."

"It's no problem. We've got plenty of space." Angel said with a smile as he gently lifted Connor off the floor.

The gang walking towards the basement to make sure Connor was tucked in neatly to bed when Dawn asked them "Uh. Can someone please get my cat for me? I would do it myself except the sun came up."

"I'll get that for you." Fred told her, "You're parked out front?"

Dawn nodded, "And can you also get the blue suitcase in the back seat?"

"Sure." she replied, putting as much Texan in that word as possible.

-----

Five minutes later, Dawn was trudging through the hotel looking for a half decent room with a bed. A good deal of them were off the indecent variety.

She pulled out a key and put it in it's corresponding lock and opened another door.

(Finally.) Buffy sighed, (A room which doesn't quite make me want to throw up.)

Tara frowned, (It's dusty though.)

(Dust, smust.) Spike muttered, (It's got a bed and a bathroom. What more do you want?)

She walked inside, closed the door and placed the kitten and suitcase on the floor. Then she walked over to the bed, flopped down on it and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't cave in.

Out of nowhere, Dawns forehead turned back to normal, "That is sooo weird."

(You get used to it.) Spike told her weakly, (Uh. I'm not feeling too hot.)

(Neither.) Buffy added, (Stupid Spike.)

(You started it.) he jabbed back.

(Me? You're the one-)

Buffy was cut off by Xander yelling (NO FIGHTING!)

(Not so loud.) Tara told him.

(Sorry.) he apologized sincerely, (That even hurt me.)

(Okay. Let's just have a quick shower and go to bed.) Buffy said.

Dawn opened the blue suitcase and started pulling out her overnight supplies. Two towels, some pajama's, a closed sandbox of kitty litter, cat biscuits and a massive ribbed rubber dildo.

Dawn smiled a bit evilly at that last part.

(Uh, Dawn. I'm not in the mood. I've got a headache.) Spike told her.

(If we don't, we won't be able to get to sleep.) Xander told him, (And yes. That thing scares me too.)

(Let's just get this over with.) Anya told them, (The sooner we're back in our own bodies, the sooner we can have actual sex and this won't be a problem.)

-----

Much later, at night.

Dawn stirred in her musty smelling bed and opened her eyes.

(Wow. We really needed some sleep.) she said as she stretched her muscles which felt a little too tight.

Willow and Tara's kitten jumped onto the bed and started mewing at them for attention.

Dawn reached out and stroked it's ears.

Out of nowhere Tara said sternly (You are NOT going to eat Miss Kitty Fantastico.)

(I didn't say a thing.) Spike said almost genuinely.

Their stomach rumbled a little and the kitten was starting to look a lot tastier.

(Snacks. Bag. Now.) Xander said urgently.

Dawn clambered out of bed and raided the suitcase for two chocolate bars and a bag of cheetos.

Ripping a chocolate bar open, she wolfed it down, hardly chewing at all.

Then she did the same to the second one and was still just as hungry.

Breaking open the cheeto's she began to eat them too.

(This bag isn't big enough.) Dawn said worried, (Why didn't we bring more snacks?)

(I've heard of this. It's stress eating.) Willow said clinically, (When you're under stress, it makes you hungry. It's the shock of wanting to eat our own cat.)

(You heard her, Dawnie?) Buffy asked her sister.

(Yeah. I hear her.) Dawn replied, still intent on eating the cheetos.

After the bag was finished, she stood there for a moment.

(Just breath in and out.) Buffy told her, her voice smooth and relaxing.

Dawn tried it but her heart was racing, she started sweating and if anything, the hunger was getting worse.

(I'm no doctor but something is definitely wrong under the hood.) Spike told her.

(All we've got to do is eat something and we'll be fine. Right?) Tara asked everyone for support.

(They'll have food here. Won't they?) Willow asked everyone, (Some of them live here.)

With a purpose, Dawn stormed out into the hallway and down the stairs into the lobby.

Fred was there to welcome her with a smile, "Hi. How was.. How come you're in your pajama's?"

"Food." Dawn rasped, "You've got food, right?"

Fred nodded uncertainly, "Yes. you want some?"

"Yes!" Dawn hissed and her game face turned on, "Ow! Not now!"

"We've got some pigs blood." Fred told her.

"No thanks. Just food will do. Normal human food. Food that people eat. I don't mean eating anyone. You get what I mean, right?"

Without replying, Fred went to the fridge they have in the office and pulled out a few prepackaged sandwiches which they kept on hand for those extended hours of research which came up occasionally. She placed them on the counter and Dawn tore them open.

Fred stared as Dawn made quick work of the sandwiches, scoffing them down so fast they didn't hit the sides of her throat.

After a few gasping breaths, Dawn asked "Got anymore?"

Fred pulled out a bottle of milk and a twinkie, handing them over to Dawn.

Dawn downed the milk and the twinkie with equal gusto and asked an increasingly worried Fred, "Got anymore?"

"We don't keep much food here. We just keep snacks here... and why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Dawn asked her, realizing only now that Fred was starting to look really really tasty, "Oh god. This can't be happening."

"What?" Fred asked her.

(We are NOT biting that girl.) Xander said emphatically.

(Looks like we're going to have to bite something.) Spike said a little too cheerfully, (So, it's either this dish or the pussy up stairs.)

Buffy grit their teeth and told Fred, "I think I'll take you up on that pigs blood. How much have you got?"

Fred quickly turned back to fridge and pulled out two plastic bottles of pigs blood.

Dawn pulled the lid off one and sniffed it, "Ugh. This can't be good for me."

(Scull! scull! scull!) Spike encouraged her to drink it as if they were at a party.

Dawn winced and sipped some. It tasted salty and metallic but she swallowed it anyway.

Then without a second thought, she knocked back the bottle and gorged herself on the blood. When she did it was like nothing else she had ever experienced as if the blood became a part of her as it slid down her throat. She could feel it passing through her body out to her finger tips and the bottom of her feet.

Then Dawn opened up the second bottle and started on that too.

Seeing this, Fred pulled the rest of the blood from the fridge and placed it on the counter for Dawn. Then Fred snuck off to get help when Dawn was distracted with slugging a bottle back.

By the time she got it, Dawn had finished off seven more bottles, making a total of seven bottles cleaned out but luckily, she wasn't hungry anymore. When the group walked in, Dawn was trying to lick up a trail of blood from the side of her face.

"That is so wrong in so many ways." Gunn told her.

Embarrassed, she wiped her face clean and said, "You know, Spike might moan about drinking pigs blood but it's not that bad."

(It's nothing compared to the real stuff.) Spike told them, (And don't tell me you're not interested.)

(I'm not interested.) Xander told him just because Spike told him not to.

"How did we drink all that?" Willow asked, "There's almost ten litres here. That's not humanly possible."

"It's a vampire thing. I don't understand it either." Angel said to her with a shrug, "So how are you doing?"

"A bit full. But yeah. I'm great now." Dawn said with a burp, "Heh. Sorry. So how's things with .. what's his name again?"

"Connor, uh, Steve. Holtz called him Steve." Angel told her, "And not so great."

"He's not in a talking mood." Cordelia explained.

Gunn grunted his disappointment, "And Angel doesn't want to press him."

"From experience, dimensional travel can get really hairy." Buffy told Angel, "Maybe all he needs is some time."

For the first time in a long time, Tara tried to talk, "M-Maybe you should give him herbal tea."

The pain which Tara had taken in taking control of her mouth caused Angel to blink and asked "Why would I do that?"

"H-His aura. It's all.. gloomy."

"She's right. It's very gloomy." Lorne told Angel, "Or maybe that I should say -he- is right. I'm never sure who's talking."

Dawn smiled, "That was Tara. I actually thought she had gotten over her stutter."

Angel walked over to the office counter and took note of the used food containers.

"So you were hungry?" He asked, picking up an empty bottle of blood and sniffed it.

"Yeah. I could've eaten a horse... That's not really that funny if you can actually eat a horse."

"I was hoping you wouldn't have Spike's bloodlust." Angel said grimly.

Dawn shrugged, "It's no big. It was actually pretty nice. I always thought when a vampire drinks blood it's just like feeding but it goes way beyond that. It's like.. being born again."

Angel frowned, "We'll need to get more blood if you're going to drink it at this rate."

"You know where we can get some, right?" Dawn asked him with urgency in her voice.

"Yes. I do. But what I want to know is why you would drink so much." Angel said, still frowning, "You're not that big."

Dawn shrugged and her face turned a little sterner as Buffy took control and went into business mode, "Don't know. Don't care. We didn't come here to work on the finer details of vampire-slayer relations. We came to get help reversing what happened to us. My-Our body has been going through a lot of changes and I don't think that's a good thing. It's quite possible that we're working on a time schedule here. If we don't fix this, we could die."

"All those people stuck in one little brain." Fred said with a frown, "That can't be a good thing."

(Ooh.) Tara whinnied.

(That makes some sense.) Willow replied to her.

(What makes sense?) Xander asked them, (Not everyone hear can read the other's mind.)

Tara hemmed although she wasn't using her throat, (Maybe the reason we each can do different things is because we're situated in different part of the brain. Willow and I must be in the section which deals with thoughts.)

(And Dawn must be in the part which deals with control over the body.) Willow said.

(And I must be in the squishy part where nothing much happens.) Xander joked.

"And they keep spacing out like that." Gunn whispered to Fred, "I don't think I like where this is heading."

Dawn blinked at him, "Uh. Sorry. In head conversation. Tara just started talking about something Fred said. About how we're all spread over different parts of my brain."

Fred tilted her head, intrigued, "Really? How is that?"

"Well. I control the body usually but when I do something actionish, it's usually Buffy or Spike. Also, I don't really feel pain like I used to because Xander's a.. what's the word again?"

(Dawn!) Xander yelled at her, (Don't tell them about that. It's not even true.)

Dawn frowned, "Uh. Forget about Xander but Tara and Willow, they pick up on what everyone else is thinking which is nice for them. It's a bit crazy for everyone else though."

"Yup. That crazy thing you have going for you is really working out." Lorne told her.

Angel turned slightly, casting a broody but thoughtful look towards Dawn and said "A cure might take a while to find. We should start looking now."

Then he looked at Fred and she shook her head, "Angel. I'm not the person you want for this. I figured that out last night when I was trying to research the slug demons from Quor-toth. I'm not a magic person.

"No!" Angel scowled at her, "We are not sending Dawn to -Him-. Who knows what he would do to her. I don't want to hear another word about this."

Dawn tilted her head, confused.

Fred gave him a frustrated look, "But I don't think I can help with something like that. It's not my thing it was.. the person we're not mentioning's area of expertise."

"Who are you talking about?" Dawn asked.

"Wesley." Gunn told her, "They're talking about Wesley."

The tension broke and she burst into laughter. Her head filled with laughter ricocheting around it, making her light headed and she fell over backwards.

After a few seconds, she got back up.

"Oh man! You got me. You guys have got too much time on your hands if you're pulling pranks like that. Anyway, I'll just clean up, get dressed and brush my teeth. Be back in a few."

-----

Meanwhile, At Wesley's apartment.

Wesley was just sitting down to eat a prepackaged TV dinner when his computer beeped at him.

He put the dinner aside and walked over to it and read the email he just received.

Squinting his eyes as if to read the message better he read part of it aloud, "Come alone."

-----

Gunn was waiting outside for Dawn, leaning on his trusty pickup.

After a few seconds, Dawn came out, dressed in their uniform black leather duster and pants. This time, Tara picked out the shirt, a simple green number that countered the image the leather gave.

They both got in the pickup and Gunn started the engine and backed out onto the street.

"It's about time we left. Even that green guy was starting to look tasty." Dawn spat out coarsely and looked over to Gunn with a sly look, "Hey. You work out, right?"

The strangled noise that came after Gunn correctly guessed were the human occupants of the body jumping on Spike.

Gunn chuckled and held out a pair of mirror shades to her, "Here. You'll need these.

Dawn examined them for a second and put them on, "Why do I need these again?"

Gunn blinked, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Your eyes. They're glowing." Gunn told her.

"Really?" Dawn looked shocked, "What color?"

"White." Gunn said, squinting at her in confusion, "How couldn't you know?"

Dawn sighed, "I don't have a reflection."

"Oh. Right." Gunn said quietly.

They drove for a few minutes until Dawn started talking to herself.

"Hi, I'm Dawn the slayer." Dawn said, testing her introduction, "I'm the slayer. You might have heard of me."

Xander chuckled, (I'm Xander, the vampire slayer.)

Willow joined him in the joke, (And I'm Willow the vampire slayer. How do you do?)

(For a slayer, pretty badly. Haven't slain any vampires today.) Xander said with a wicked grin.

(Guys.) Buffy said in a low growl, (You do remember that we're going to reverse this. Right?)

(Yea. We're just trying it on. Like a Halloween costume.) Anya said, reinforcing Xander's grin.

(Don't remind us.) Willow told her.

Dawn chuckled, (Hey. I liked that army thing you used to have.)

(I used to have?) Xander queried her, (Since when did I not have it? I mean, since when did I have it?)

(Ignore the child, Xander.) Anya told him, (She's just goading you.)

(Can you not call me child?) Dawn asked her harshly, (You know I'm only six years younger than Xander.)

(Ooh man.) Willow started laughing, (Now that I didn't see coming.)

(What?) Dawn asked her.

(Uhh.) Willow's voice wavered, (Did I think that out loud?)

(What was it?) Dawn confronted her, (Was it about me?)

(Not everything is about you.) Anya told her.

Tara laughed, (Actually, this is and Anya, I don't think you ever have to worry about that happening.)

(Really?) Anya asked her with a tinge of hope in her thoughts.

Willow laughed, (Anya, we can see Xander's thoughts about this. He might have a really active imagination but he's grown and mastered his own hormones. I think you owe Dawn an apology.)

(I do?) Anya asked, (Umm. I guess I do.)

Anya mulled it over then started her apology.

(Dawn. I am sorry for my belittling comments. I was just afraid that you would take Xander away from me.)

(What?!) Xander blurted out, (Ahn. I'd never-Uh, Dawn. I'm not insulting you here it's just, I'm -)

(Loyal.) Tara prompted him.

(Yes! Loyal to Anya.) Xander grasped the concept, (Anya, I'm not going to leave you for a younger girl.)

(I know. It's just I'm insecure.) Anya said, tweaking the worry lines over Dawn's brow.

(What about Willow?) Tara asked Anya.

(She's already stolen him away from one of his previous girlfriends.) Anya told Tara, (So I'm still going to remain skeptical.)

Willow chuckled, (I can live with that.)

(But I am sorry to you, Buffy.)

(Me?) Buffy asked, taken off guard, (What for?)

(For being snappy and overly critical towards you. I know Xander has held a flame for you and that's always scared me.)

(Uh. But that was back in highschool.) Buffy told Anya, (Years ago.)

Xander coughed, (Yeah. Years ago.)

Buffy gasped, (Xander!)

Xander made a few uncomfortable sounds as he tried to think up a way to get out of this.

Spike groaned, (Buffy. Give the boy a brake. You think someone can just stop being in love with you just because he wants to? Doesn't work like that.)

Buffy paused then sighed, (I guess so. Although, it's weird. I thought it was just a phase.)

(Buffy.) Xander's voice came through strangled, (As much as I hate to admit it, Spike's right. I can't choose what my heart feels. I can't say I don't love you because I do. I just happen to love Anya too and I want to marry her.)

(It's beautiful.) Tara said softly in admiration.

(What?) Anya asked her.

(You two.) Tara told her, (You're complete opposites. Xander's filled with love and you're filled with malice but together it can all work out.)

A tears flooded Dawn's eyes as the emotions within the collective mind overflowed into the body.

(If I could. I would be kissing you right now.) Xander told Anya.

(And I would be kissing you too.) Anya said pitifully

Her skin crawled, her breath was caught somewhere in her gut and stayed there, effectively suffocating her. A wave of delirium spread out from their heart and started reaching out to the rest of her body.

"Oh god." Dawn gasped as her body filled with the sensation, "STOP!"

Gunn slammed on the brakes and Dawn's whole body jerked forward, pulling it out of whatever trance it was in.

Gunn breathed hard, scanning the road for the dog he almost hit until he turned to Dawn and asked "What the hell was that for?"

"Sorry." Dawn told him, catching her breath "I was talking to someone else."

Gunn growled and started up the engine again, "Well. Next time, keep it to yourself. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"S-Sorry." Dawn said, shaking her head clear, "What the hell was that?"

"Something wrong?" Gunn asked her, "You're not turning evil on me, are you?"

"What?! No!"

"Just checking. Always pays to be sure."

(What was the bloody hell just happened?) Spike asked the group.

(X-Xander?) Tara stuttered even in her mind, (How?)

(I just reached toward Anya and sorta tried to hug her.) Xander explained.

(And I sorta hugged him back.) Anya added.

(I think I know what happened.) Tara said timidly.

All minds turned to her and she started explaining, (I remember reading somewhere about uh, sex magic-)

Xander chuckled, (Tara. I never knew -.)

(DONT! finish that sentence.) Willow cut him off.

Tara tried to ignore him, (Some practitioners believed that the body gets in the road of uh.. Sex. That sex is just two spirits trying to connect. If the barriers between them could be removed then it would be the best uh, you know.)

(Huh?) Xander asked her, (Uh. Hang on. You guys felt that too?)

Anya tittered, (Xander. I wouldn't mind trying that again. I don't care if everyone else gets a feel.)

(But I do.) Xander squealed, (It would be weird and confusing00.)

(Please don't.) Spike told them, (Especially in public. That's not how I get my jollies.)

Tara chuckled, (Are you sure about that?)

(And it just felt odd.) Willow told Xander, (Not very sexy at all.)

(I thought I was going to cough up a furball.) Buffy said, mock gagging.

The pickup slowed down and Gunn parked it.

They got out and Dawn followed Gunn across the street.

Dawn grimaced as she looked up at the rundown apartment block they were approaching, "Well. I guess everyone has to live somewhere."

"It looks better on the inside." Gunn lied to her.

They took the stairs up a few flights and walked a narrow corridor to Wesley's room.

Gunn knocked on his door without a tune.

They waited, not hearing anything inside.

"Maybe he's out." Gunn told Dawn, "Or moved."

Dawn leant and placed her ear on the door, "No one's inside."

Gunn's cellphone took that as a cue to vibrate and he pulled it out and placed it to his ear, "Gunn."

"Gunn. Cordy just got a vision." Angel's voice came through the cell phone as Dawn overheard it, "Woman attacked by a gang of vampires in a nightclub."

-----

Meanwhile, Wesley was walking along a balcony overlooking a dance floor where people were dancing with light sticks to a techno beat.

From where she was leaning on the balcony, she said to Wesley without turning "I see that you got my invitation."

Wesley turned to her easily, "Lilah. Obviously."

"I thought the 'come alone' was a particular ironic touch. I mean, how else would you come?"

Already bored, Wes started to walk off but Lilah stopped him by hold his arm.

"Don't rush off. Just look over there."

Wes followed Lilah's directions and spied Justine sitting at the bar. The same woman who slit his throat not so long ago.

"I went to a lot of trouble to arrange this show for you." Lilah said, obviously pleased with herself.

"Goodbye." he said, starting to walk off.

"Okay but leave now and you'll miss her big death scene." Lilah said gleefully and stopped Wesley in his tracks, "Don't tell me that you wouldn't like to see the bitch that slit your throat and left you to die get a little of her own back."

"What's going on here, Lilah?"

"Some source, couldn't imagine who, tipped her off that tonight this place would be filthy with vampires. Which as it turns out is true."

Wesley frowned, "Because that same source tipped off the vampires that she would be here."

"She's pissed off a lot of undead American lately."

"And you thought I'd enjoy a box seat for her slaughter?"

"Well... yeah!" Lilah said with a big smile.

"You really don't know the first thing about me. Do you?"

"Probably not." Lilah said, standing closer to him, "Like will he go straight to his car? Or will he warn her first?"

Wesley paused in thought for a second.

Lilah smirks and turns, "No. He thinks about it. That's all I needed to know. You can go."

"A test, Lilah?"

"Don't look so grim. I just needed to know if I was wasting my time. And to prove we're still friends, I'll have her pulled out of there before anything really lethal happens."

Wesley stepped up the rail and looked down at the crowd with a contented look, "I don't think that will be necessary."

"Oh pooh." Lilah pouted, "Here comes Angel. Always spoiling our fun, isn't he? And look! He brought his new friend. So, what do you know about her?"

"Know about who?" Wesley asked her.

"The teenybopper."

Wesley gave her an odd look and looked back down, finally seeing Dawn wading through the crowd behind Angel and in front of Gunn, "Oh my god. What is she doing here?"

"Someone you know?" Lilah asked slyly, "From Sunnydale if I'm not wrong."

"But how did you know that?" Wesley asked.

"Really, Wes. You think you can keep a secret like her quiet from Wolfram and Hart?"

Wesley gave her the oddest look, "What are you talking about?"

Lilah laughed lightly, "Maybe you should think about a career in law. That was totally convincing."

Wes kept on with the odd look.

"Give it up." She told him, "We know, all right?"

"Know what?"

"She's a vampire with a soul."

Wesley gave her a final weird look then shrugged, looking back to the bar.

Down at the bar Justine was taking shots at the bar when she spotted Angel coming her way.

"How about another?" the barman asked her, lining up another shot of hard liquor.

"No. I'm done." she replied, distracted.

The bartender and two guys on either side of her turn on their vampires faces and grab her.

"You're not wrong there." the bartender told her.

"She thinks she's a slayer." One of the vampires holding her said as she struggled to free herself.

"She's about to learn different." the bartender said.

The vampire dusted in front of their eyes and was replaced by Dawn holding a stake and a big smile, "Yeah. What was she thinking? Everyone know's I'm the slayer here."

The bartender blinked as Dawn reached over the bar and awkwardly staked him too.

"Buh-ich!" were his last words before he dusted completely.

Then it was all on.

Buffy threw a power punch at the last vampire holding Justine and breaking it's jaw and knocking it clean out in the process.

Then the rest of the vampires came out of the wood works.

They rushed Justine and Dawn while Angel and Gunn blind-sided them.

Angel staked one and pushed a few over while Gunn cut one clean in half with a battle axe.

How he got a battle axe past the bouncers, Dawn will never know.

Two of the vampires got missed in the ambush tactic and rushed towards Dawn who jumped back onto the bar.

The vampires jumped after her and she kicked them away with a brutal roundhouse kick that struck them both.

Then she followed it off with a jump off the bar that was just way too high for Buffy's liking. She almost hit the two story high roof with her head at the top of the arch.

"Ohcrapohcrapohcrap" came out Dawn's as she looked down to the floor, people were spreading away from the fight and like a stealth bomber in the clouds, she could clearly see the vampire that she targeted. Amazingly, she was still on target to land on him.

Buffy took back control on the downwards spiral and readied her stake hand for a downwards stab and when the floor came rushing up to her, she suicidally brought the stake down into the vampires heart and went straight through the floorboards.

From the balcony above, Lilah couldn't help but smile, "She must be new."

When she turned to Wesley, he was already gone, so she just turned back to watch the show.

A few seconds later, Dawn climbed out of the hole she made in the floor. By that time, Angel and Gunn had all but finished the vampires.

"Ahh. Where'd the girl go?" Dawn asked them, looking around until she spotted Lilah watching her on the balcony above.

"Not a vamp." Buffy said out loud.

(Then why are you getting the wiggins from her?) Willow asked Buffy.

(Don't know.)

Lilah, realizing she had been spotted, turned away and left through the same fire exit that Wesley had left from.

By that time, Angel staked the last upright vampire and Gunn pulled a small stake out of his jacket and staked the one that Buffy had knocked out earlier.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked her with concern.

"Can you stop asking me that? I'm fine."

Angel hemmed uncomfortably, "It's just.. you went through the floor. I thought you could be hurt."

Dawn shrugged, "I guess I just don't know my own strength yet."

"I'd say it's strong." Gunn laughed, happy with an easy win.

As they left, Dawn asked them "Uh. Could we pop by a drive-thru on the way back? I'm just starting to get hungry again."

Gunn laughed, "Oh man. She can just put it away, can't she?"

Angel gave Gunn a stern look which silenced him then gave Dawn a smile, "Sure. My treat."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll just take it out of your salary."

Dawn blinked, "Salary?.. Oh that's right. You guys get paid to do this. Buffy really should work towards something like that."

-----

Wesley was walking down towards his apartment door with a cellphone in his hand, dialing numbers.

He put the phone to his ear and waited for a reply.

"Come on. Pick up." He growled as unlocked the door.

He opened the door and walked inside, closing it behind him. After that he walked over to an address book on his desk and opened it up, looking up another phone number.

He dialed it and waited, getting no answer from it either.

With his phone jammed between his ear and his shoulder, he unlocked a drawer to his desk and pulled out some old dusty books. By their look and the fact that Wesley owned them, they were obviously of the ancient and long forgotten variety.

He flipped open one of the book and trailed a finger down a familiar page. He frowned and started dialing a different number. One he could remember easier.

After a few seconds, he got an answer, "Gunn here."

"Gunn. It's Wesley."

There was silence on the other line and Wesley thought it was a waste of time but he had to try.

"Yeah? And?"

"There's something about Dawn which you don't know."

Gunn chuckled, "Yeah. I know."

"No. I don't think you do."

"Yeah. I think I do."

"Not this."

Gunn chuckled, "Okay. What is it? Shock me."

-----

Angel and Dawn got back to the hotel, laughing at some lame joke when they saw that Cordelia and Fred were down and Groo and Lorne were trying their best to help them back up.

The pentagram was now covered in coffee dregs and glass from a broken decanter.

"What happened?" Angel asked as he rushed towards them, followed by a slower Dawn.

"Don't know, sweetcakes." Lorne said as he held a ice pack to Fred's head, "One minute I was in my room and them BOOM. I came out here and Cordelia and Fred were out cold. My guess is something came through the portal."

"Did anyone see what?"

"No. We did not. I am sorry." Groo told Angel quickly and went back to fawning over Cordelia.

Fred stirred, "Whuh? L-Lorne?"

"Easy. Easy." Lorne told her, "You've got a nasty bump on your head."

"I can feel it." she grimaced, "The portal. It went bang."

"Did you see anything?" Angel asked her.

"No. Kinda busy what with the getting knocked out."

Cordelia started rousing from her sleep too, "Ow, oww, OWW!"

She jerked upright and yelled "What the fuck was that!? OWWW! SonovaBITCH!"

(Arr. Sweet Cordelia.) Xander said sarcastically, (She still has a way with words.)

"We really need to shut that stupid thing up." Cordelia said, holding her head.

"Did you see anything come through, Cordy?" Angel asked her.

"Huh? No. Too busy with the goose egg on my head."

Fred held up a book and gave it to Angel, "I found a picture of that beast that Connor killed and uh, it says that they usually have a mate. If something was going to come through then that would be a good bet."

Angel looked at the book, held it sideways and the page folded out to be three pages long.

"Cordy's right." He said, wincing, "We really need to shut that stupid thing up."

The portal crackled in defiance.

Angel looked to Dawn and asked, "Would Willow be able to help?"

Dawn blinked and shook her head emphatically, "No. That wouldn't be a good idea."

Lorne hemmed, "I do know someone who could help. It's tricky trying to find them but I think they would be interested in shutting up our own little gaping maw of doom for us."

"That's gre- great." Angel said, stopping slightly when the phone rang.

He walked over to it and picked it up, "Angel investigations. We help the helpless."

Angel's face fell while he listened to the other line "Is he okay?.. Yes, we want to know.. Thanks. We'll make sure he gets taken care of."

He wrote something down on the pad on the desk and pulled the piece of paper off.

Everyone was watching with baited breath when Angel let the bomb drop, "It's Gunn. He's in the hospital."

"What?!" Fred eeked, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know." Angel told her, "That was just one of his old gang. Gunn had them as his contact in case of emergency."

"We've got to go, find out what happened." Fred pleaded.

"Of course." Angel told her, "Let's go."

Everyone except Lorne piled out automatically through the front doors.

"I'll just, uh, stay here then and take care of Connor. Hospitals aren't really my thing." Lorne called after them as they left, "Neither are giant demon mates. Good luck with that."

He waved slightly, not that anyone was spending time to look back at him. Then he sighed and made his way back to the basement.

That's a black shape blurred in front of his vision and knocked him out.

* * *

Cue crappy cliffhanger ending.

Continued in part three


	3. Part three

Dawn of the Dawn, part 3.

* * *

Scene starts with them in a hospital. 

"I'm so sorry." Dawn told him, "If we hadn't gone to scoff my face then.."

"It's not your fault." Angel told her then gave her a sad smile, "I guess you're feeling like you can't do anything right?"

"Yeah. First this" Dawn said with disgust pointing at herself, "And then Gunn."

"I told you it wasn't your fault."

"Doesn't make me feel better."

"Well, it should because it's true. Gunn didn't get admitted here because he got mauled by a demon. He's here because he lost control of his truck and ran into a palm tree."

Dawn blinked, "Really?"

"If he makes it through this, I'm going to kill him." Fred said angrily.

"He'll make it through." Angel told her, "He's tough and he was wearing his seatbelt."

"I truly don't think it is his destiny to die here." Groo told Fred, "He is too great a warrior for that."

She sniffed and nodded, "Yeah. You're right. But don't tell him that. He'll get a swollen head."

Groo smiled slightly, "I'm sure they have icepacks here to remedy such an affliction."

(He's weird.) Xander stated.

(But nice.) Anya countered.

(Nice.) Xander agreed, (But weird.)

Angel frowned, "Actually. He was on his cellphone when the accident occurred. I overheard the paramedics talking about how those things should be banned."

"His cellphone?" Fred mused, "But who was he talking to?"

-----

Wesley walked tentatively into the foyer like a rabbit walking into a clearing.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Wesley called, dinging the bell for service.

Wesley sighed, pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

That was when he heard a ringing sound. He walked across the office to Angels office where he saw Angel's cellphone resting on

"No signal?" Wesley asked his cellphone, "Where the hell is everyone?"

-----

In radiology, the gang were looking at Gunn's skull fracture.

"Charles should have come in for an MRI earlier." The old female doctor said as she looked at an X-ray of Gunn's skull.

"Why?" Fred asked, her voice fearful, "What's wrong?"

"Oh. Nothing as far as I see. It's just.. He does seem to have a lot of past cranial injuries. See these lines here? Those are an old fracture that healed up. And those lines are from another fracture. There's another one there."

"Oh yeah. I think that was from that time he got knocked out by that.." Cordelia stopped her joyful reminiscing when she noticed the doctor giving her a stern look.

"There's nothing funny about skull fractures, young woman."

Cordelia shrugged, "I've been knocked out more than Gunn."

The doctor looked at the X-ray then back at Cordelia, "If that's true, maybe we should give you an MRI too."

"I've been having them quite regularly." Cordelia said with pride, "They said that my brain was dying, take two of these a day and try not to vomit up your stomach lining. Helpful advice like that really got me through. But I'm getting better now. The damage is receding."

"That's nice.." the Doctor said, unsure if Cordelia was joking or not, "Back to Charles, he took a considerable blow to not only his head but his entire body. He's in a stable condition now but only time will tell how well he recovers. Luckily for him, he's young and strong so it looks hopeful."

"But what about multiple organ failure?" Fred asked, "Or hemorrhaging or acute respiratory distress syndrome or hyperglycemia or he could wake up paralyzed and not be able to talk. Oh god, he won't be able to talk-"

"Fred!" Cordelia shook her slightly, "Just breathe. Calm, slow breathes."

(And people say I'm a basket crazy.) Anya said snidely.

"I doubt he'll be paralyzed." the doctor coldly comforted Fred, "But what he doesn't need are visitors right now. So, please go home. We will phone you should his condition change."

-----

The next day.

Dawn was in the foyer alone with Kitty Fantastico and a crossword from a small puzzle book.

(Don't tell me.) Dawn warned the rest of her head.

No one said anything although this activity was starting to get very boring. Waiting for everyone to get back was taking longer than she thought it would.

(Has anyone ever noticed that youngest, most inexperienced person is always in control?) Anya asked everyone.

Xander mentally shrugged, (The way I think about it, why drive when you can be driven?)

Dawn frowned, (Anya. If you want, you can take control for a while.)

Anya thought about it for a second then said (But I don't know what to do.)

Dawn tapped her pen and looked down at the crossword puzzle, (Well. When you think of something, tell us.)

Willow and Tara's kitten mewed for more attention.

(C-can I?) Tara pleaded with Dawn for control.

Dawn rolled her eyes, (Sure. You don't need to ask. We're all sharing here. Besides, I'm still trying to think up a five letter word for unyielding.)

"Yes you are. Yes you are so cute. Who's our favorite pussy?" Willow cooed as Tara tickled it's stomach.

(There's a metaphor in here somewhere.) Spike chuckled.

Tara and Willow ignored him and Willow said "Miss Kitty Fantastico is the best kitty in the world. Yes, she is."

Spike snorted, (Miss Kitty Fantastico is a whore.)

(Spike!) Tara yelled at him, (How dare you? It's just a kitten.)

(She's known us for less than a week and she's already turning tricks for treats.)

(How would you like it if I called you a whore?) Willow asked him.

Spike shrugged their shoulders, (As long as you pay me for it, not a bit.)

Out of the blue, Anya said (We should clean that pentagram off the floor. It'll leave a stain.)

(Do you want to do it?) Dawn asked her, (Hopefully, we'll only be here a few days and then we can leave this dump behind.)

Anya frowned, (When you put it like that. No. I don't want to dirty myself anymore than necessary.)

(We could go back to sleep.) Tara said dozily.

(Sleep?) Buffy asked her, (Come on. We're so full of energy. We should be outside enjoying the sunshine and crap. Being a vampire sucks.)

(You only just figured that out?) Spike asked her.

(Hey. You're the one who was telling me how great it was.) Buffy mentally poked him, (Creature of the night, free as a bird, all fun and no work. You forgot to mention how mind numbingly boring it can be waiting for the sun to blot itself out.)

(Skipped my mind.)

Cordelia came through the front doors with several packed plastic bags.

"Hi, Cordy." Dawn said with a wave, "Did you bring food?"

Cordelia heaved the plastic bags on top of the counter for Dawn, narrowing avoiding the kitten.

Dawn quickly pulled out a bottle of fruit juice, opened it up and drank it without a breath.

"Yup. I can see it now. In a week, you'll be the biggest thing since sliced bread."

"Actually, I'm getting skinnier." Dawn said with a worried look, "Since this started I've gone down a belt size."

Cordelia blinked, "Really?"

"Well. I am eating for eight people here." Dawn said with a shrug as she pulled out a tub of icecream from a bag, "So where are the others?"

"Groo went out trying to find if something came through the portal while Fred and Angel are doing a vigil at the hospital. In Angel's case, I think it's because he doesn't want to trudge home through the sewers without a good reason."

"Hey did you get-"

Dawn cut herself off as she found a large plastic bladder of blood in the second bag. She half purred and half laughed at she vamped out and dug her fangs into the bag to drain it.

"You might want to leave some for later." Cordelia said, standing back as the bladder was finished off before her very eyes.

Dawn looked up at her, "Huh? Did you say something? My heart goes thump thump thump when I drink blood. Can't hear a thing."

"Doesn't matter." Cordelia sighed, "I'll just freshen up then I'll go back to the butchers to get some more blood."

"Thanks." Dawn said with a big grin, "Could you get a little extra this time?"

Cordelia smiled plastically, "Sure. Why not."

Dawn ate half a loaf of bread then half a bottle of peanut butter with a spoon then a chocolate bar then the rest of the bread until she her hunger was finally sated.

(I think I've realized why we eat so much.) Willow said with a smile.

(Okay. Spill.) Buffy told her.

(Spike's a vampire, right? We eat food while he drinks blood. Well, part of us is alive and part of us must be vampire. What's stopping the vampire part from drinking straight from the human part? I think our body is feeding off itself. So we've got to eat a lot to make up for it.)

(That could explain why we slept for so long.) Buffy growled, (Spike was feeding off us in our sleep.)

(Nothing personal.) Spike said a little too glibly for Buffy's tastes.

After that, Cordelia came back down from her room and walked out the front door with a pissed off expression on her face.

Dawn watched her with a predator glint to her eyes, focusing on Cordelia's nice, warm and pulsating neck. When she finally walked out the door, the spell broke and Dawn shook her head clear.

(T-That wasn't good.) Buffy whimpered.

(I didn't want to bite her. I just want to sleep with her. It's perfectly innocent.) Xander muttered to himself.

(Xander?) Anya asked him slowly, unsure what her question was supposed to be.

(Hey. You never said I couldn't look at other girls. You know I'd never sleep with one though. It's like you and Justin Timberlake. You like to look at him but you wouldn't sleep with him.)

(Uh, that's right.) Anya said unconvincingly.

Dawn took a deep breath and went back to tapping her pencil against the counter.

(Alone again.) Xander sighed.

(That's not true. We've got Miss Kitty Fantastico.) Willow said happily as she petted the cat.

(And we've always got each other.) Spike added with a touch of mirth.

(Oh, I know. We could talk to Stephen.) Buffy chirped, (See if he wants something to eat. A peanut butter sandwich maybe.)

(The POW in the basement?) Xander asked her.

(The one we knocked out?) Spike asked.

(The one that probably wants to kill us?) Willow asked.

(Yup.) Buffy said cheerfully, (Let's go.)

Dawn groaned, put down the crossword puzzle and walked down towards the basement.

While still at the top of the stairs, she tensed as Buffy took control.

(Buffy?) Dawn asked confused.

(Something's not right.)

She jumped over the rail of the stairs and landed without a sound to find Lorne bound and gagged with rope and cloth to the wall.

Buffy scanned the room for anyone else and asked Lorne, "Is anyone else here?"

He shook his head and she relaxed. Then walked over and pulled off his gag.

"It's about time!" Lorne shouted, "Why hasn't anyone come down here until now?"

"You don't know? Of course you don't know. Gunn was in an accident. Everyone went to the hospital. What happened?"

"Holtz happened." Lorne said bitterly, "But at least he left me alive. A very unchristian thing to do of him. I suppose he did it so he could torture me some more later on."

"Holtz?" Dawn asked in confusion and Spike added "This isn't the same vampire slaying Holtz from two hundred years ago, is it?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Darla told me a few stories. Never met the guy but anyone who puts a metal hook to Angelus can't be all bad." Spike said with a shrug, "Hang on. Holtz is a vampire?"

"No. I'd go with a count of creepy old guy. He's really beginning to show his age. Quor-toth, not good for the complexion. Ugh. My tongue is so dry." Lorne complained.

"Sucking on a sock all night will do that." Dawn joked badly.

"Get me out of this would ya?"

She took a knife off a nearby table and cut through the ropes with relative ease.

"We should warn the others." Buffy said out loud.

"Well. Duh." Lorne said.

"Sorry. Was talking to myself. Helps with cooperation."

"Oh, right."

-----

Fred and Angel were glooming up the hospital waiting room. Fred might as well have been living in a cave and Angel might as well have been leaning broodily against a wall in the eighteenth century. They both were scared for Gunn since they haven't heard anything since the doctor talked to them the night before. When you're not doing anything and you're waiting for word of a loved one, the mind starts to play out cruel little scenarios.

"Angel." Wesley croaked as he stood in the middle of the waiting room.

Angel looked at Wesley in disgust, "What are you doing here?"

"There's something you need to know. You need to get out of here. Now."

Angel blurred across the room, slamming Wesley into the wall, "I haven't forgotten what you did!"

The waiting room burst into activity.

"I'm here to save your life. They want to kill you." Wesley wheezed, gasping for breath as Angel pressed a forearm into his throat.

"Someone wants to kill me? What's new?" Angel asked angrily as people tried to pry him off Wesley.

"ANGEL!" Fred screamed, "Stop it. You're going to kill him."

Angel looked down at her and lessened his hold on Wesley slightly.

Angel grunted and dropped Wesley whose legs crumpled under him and he fell to the ground, coughing for air but he took the effort to gasp out "It's Wolfram and Hart."

"They've made it clear that they don't want to kill me. There's that whole prophecy thing." Angel told him, before turning to a young but stoutly teenager, "Excuse me but can you stop that? It's distracting."

"Dude. You need to calm down." the teenager said back.

"I'm calm. Okay?" Angel said, shaking him off.

"Let's talk somewhere less public." Fred told the two as she helped Wesley back onto his feet.

They walked out to whisper conspiratorially in a dark hospital corridor somewhere when Fred's cellphone went off.

She pulled it out and placed it to her ear, "Fred here - Oh my gawd. Holtz is back? He what? Oh, I'm so sorry - yeah. He's right here. Wesley is here too. I'll tell them. Thanks."

Wesley blinked, "Holtz is back? Didn't he go through to Quor-toth?"

"He must have come through the portal the same way Connor did." Angel mused.

Wesley blinked in shock again, "Wait. Connor is back?"

"Yes. He's back." Angel shot back at him.

"And he wants to kill Angel." Fred explained.

Wesley tilted his head, giving her a confused look, "But he's just a baby."

Fred sighed, "What was three days here were eighteen years in Quor-toth."

"Ah. Yes. I've heard of such things before. This couldn't have come at a worse time."

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked Wesley face to face.

"It's Wolfram and Hart. They're going to kill you." Wesley told him, "That's what I was trying to tell Gunn when he crashed."

"You caused this!" Angel roared.

"I didn't know he was driving at the time." Wesley explained.

"Why would they want to kill me now?" Angel countered, "They've had ample opportunity before now. They want me alive because they think I can be turned towards the dark side. Like that would ever happen."

"How did you know about Dawn?" Fred asked Wesley.

"That's not important. What is important is... I think we've made a big mistake."

-----

Wolfram and Hart.

Linwood, Lilah and Gavin were standing on the other side of the boardroom from Holtz and Connor.

Linwood looked as if he had been having a very bad day but he wasn't acting it. Lilah looked impeccable as ever while Gavin looked like he had just lost his bladder control.

"I believe we can come to some arrangement." Linwood said with a formal smile as he sat in the head seat to the boardroom table, "I particularly like the sound of that torture idea you had."

Holtz smiled a thin wicked smile, "It does have a certain ageless beauty to it."

Connor wasn't in an agreeable mood, "Dad. We don't need these people. We can take them together. Just you and me."

"Son. No man is an island. I've told you this before. Angelus is a strong adversary and for what we need to do to him, we need help."

"Fine." Connor spat.

"We will give you everything you require as long as you keep your end of the bargain."

Holtz nodded, "I will. I have no need for a vampire I've never even heard of."

"After all this, maybe you would be interested in a career at Wolfram and Hart." Lilah propositioned, "We can always use people will skills such as yourself."

"I'll think about it. And once again, I apologize for the mess." Holtz said as he stepped over the dead body of one of the many security guards who littered the floor.

-----

Back at the Hotel.

Everyone had met back in the hotel except for Gunn who was still at the hospital. They weren't sure how to take Wesley's news.

"Woah! Slow down there." Angel told Wesley, "I'm the vampire with a soul here. It's always been me. She's not even a proper vampire."

"It's true. I'm not really dead at all." Dawn said as she chewed on a piece of beef jerky.

"But that makes it even worse." Wesley emphasized, "There have always been inconsistencies in the prophecies that we couldn't comprehend. Like the Sanshu prophecies. How could a vampire die and live at the same time unless he was both alive and dead. In Dawn's case, she fits that description because she's more than one of her personalities IS dead."

"Now that you mention it, that Sanshu thing, I did it years ago." Angel said casually.

"What?!" Wesley gasped, "When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I went back in time to stop it happening, okay? I didn't want to bring you down."

Wesley blinked, "R-ight. But it's not just the Sanshu scripts. Take a look here."

He took out a book from his bag and placed it on the counter, facing Angel and Buffy, "It mentions the destined one with a feminine adjective. Loosely translated it's calling them pretty instead of hmm, well, handsome would suit Angel better."

"Well, I am know as the vampire with the face of an angel." Angel said with a smile, "I can't help it if I'm pretty."

Xander muttered under his breath, "He can't help it if he's a pedophile."

Angel blinked, "What?"

"Nothing." Xander said innocently, bottling up the laughter coming from him and Spike.

Meanwhile, Wesley continued to point out relevant details.

"And here. It mentions that the progeny of the destined one and it uses the term which loosely translates to giving birth while there's a more common word for the masculine bearing of children which would translate to sowing seed."

(Whoa! I am not giving birth!) Xander said adamantly, (Being a girl for a few days is an interesting change of pace but that's going too far.)

Wesley stopped as he found something of particular interest, "Hang on. That makes total sense now."

"What does?" Fred asked, looking over Wesley's shoulder at the book.

"This passage here. I thought it was a prophetic riddle but if Buffy is in Dawn's body then it works out just fine. It refers to one bestowed with love by.. my god. This prophecy, it's not about one vampire with a soul, it's about two. No wonder I was having so much trouble translating it."

"Two?" Dawn and Angel asked together.

"Yes. Two." Wesley stated, "There's the sire and the destined one. The destined one is who Wolfram and Hart are after. Since Angel was Spike's sire and he's the vampiric component in Dawn then it makes sense."

"No it doesn't. That's nuts." Buffy told him, "We didn't have any vamp component until yesterday."

"Actually, it's starting to make a lot of sense if you consider how we came to be like this." Anya said out loud, taking over the voice, "One of the powers of a vengeance demon upon granting a wish is to create a new dimension in which that wish may be fulfilled. Sometimes though we won't create a new dimension but the wish alters reality so much that it tries to balance itself out and in doing so, slowly creates a new reality on it's own."

Angel's brow wrinkled, "I don't see where you're going with this."

"Well. Say we granted a wish for a lifetimes supply of shrimp then we could just make a new dimension that is full of shrimp and put the wisher there. In this case, it's possible that reality is being warped around Dawn and so prophecies may be altered to include Dawn in them. If that's the case, then those aren't the same scrolls you've read before."

"Whoa, hold the phones." Lorne told everyone, "Dawn asked for this to happen?"

Buffy hemmed, "She was tricked. She didn't know she was talking to a demon. She thought it was the school council. She wished for her friends to know what it felt like to be her. I'm sure we've all felt like that one time or another."

"Oh!" Anya gasped as she realized something really bad, "Oh, that's not good."

"What's not good?" Angel asked.

"If this keeps up." Anya said slowly, "It's quite possible that we'll become consumed into Dawn's psyche until we sorta don't exist at all. You guys won't even remember us. Only Dawn will."

(That can't happen. Can it?) Xander asked Anya, hoping she would take it back.

(Guys.. are we missing someone?) Buffy asked them.

(What do you mean missing someone?) Dawn asked her right back.

(TARA!) Willow screamed, (She's not responding to me. I don't know what's wrong with her. It's like she's asleep.)

(Guys, I didn't want this.) Dawn said horrified, breaking down as her legs gave way under her, (I didn't want this to happen.)

(We know Dawn.) her sister came to her comfort as Angel came to kneel next to her physically, (We'll sort something out.)

(But how?) Dawn pleaded.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked her.

"It's already happening." Dawn sobbed, "Tara's gone."

Wesley stepped up to Angel, "Angel. You need to get out of here. You've been a thorn in Wolfram and Hart's side for a long time. Once they discover that they want Dawn and not you they'll -"

"Kill me." Angel grunted and stood back up, "I'm starting to get the message."

"Talking of messages, did you get call blocking for me?" Wesley asked, "Because I haven't been able to get a hold you lot all day."

Angel frowned and shook his head, "No. I didn't think you would bother calling."

Then the lights chose to cut out.

It didn't darken the foyer too much since it was still daytime outside so some reflected light floated in from the many and large windows.

"Groo." Angel called, "Weapon cabinet. Broadsword."

Groo opened the weapons cabinet without a word and pulled out the broadsword and threw it across the room to Angel without hesitation.

Angel grabbed it in mid-air just in time to see demons start walking in the front door.

The sheer amount and variety of them caused the group into a defensive stance around the weapons cabinet where some of the gang were still getting equipped.

As soon as Dawn pulled a short sword out of the locker, control of her body switched over to Buffy.

The demons and vampires didn't attack straight away however. They held back despite their nature and gave everyone some time to prepare.

Eventually, they parted and Holtz and Connor walked through them to confront the group.

(Connor does looks a lot nicer when he's not unconscious.) Dawn noticed.

(Dawn.) Spike hissed accusingly, (He is NOT cute. Stop getting warm fuzzy feelings for him.)

(Spike's right.) Buffy told her, (Get your head out of your pants. We're about to be attacked by a horde of demons.)

Dawn sighed, (We really need to get our own lives or I'm going to be a virgin forever)

(No. I'm sure we would work something out.) Willow told her, (And he is cute.)

Xander gasped, (You're supposed to be gay! You're supposed to be on my side here. There's no fricken way I'm ever - Nuh-uh, no way.)

(It's not that bad really.) Anya told him, (A man and a woman are designed to mesh together. Why else would they have interlocking parts?)

(But I'm not a woman.) Xander said, frustrated where this conversation was going.

(GUYS!) Buffy shouted, (Talk crap later. Fight now.)

"Holtz." Angel said grimly, "Have you looked in a mirror recently? You look horrible."

Holtz didn't dignify him with an answer, instead he stated his business with a grim smile, "We're here for Angel. The rest of you can go. There's no need for you to die too."

"We would never abandon him to the likes of you." Groo said stoically, bringing a grudging respect from the scoobies and a little swoon from Cordelia.

"You all would die? Just so I can kill one vampire?" Holtz asked them.

Lorne took this time to turn to Angel and say "Angel. I always knew you were going to be the death of me. I've even said it out loud a few times. But, no matter what happens, you know I'll still love you, right?"

"Same here." Angel replied, not taking his eyes off the mob.

"Groo's right. We're staying put." Cordelia said, brandishing her favorite katana, "One for all and all for one."

"How touching." Holtz said with a smile, "How about one on one? Steven against Angel. I'm sure that will satisfy your twisted sense of honor."

Angel shook his head, "I won't fight him."

"Too bad!" Connor yelled, rushing forwards with a dagger and a stake.

Connor attacked, fast and powerfully and Angel backed off, on guard.

"I .. Don't .. Want .. to .. Hurt You!" Angel said, deflecting and blocking Connor's moves.

(He's going to get himself killed, fighting like that.) Xander spat, not really liking the idea of having to save Angel but not really wanting Angel dead.

(So?) Spike asked.

"Okay. MY turn!" Buffy growled.

Buffy pushed Angel to the floor and walked up to Connor who looked confused at the new development. Then she just executed a one-two on Connor and knocked him clean out, yet again.

(Snot nosed whelp needs a lesson in manners.) Spike said sourly, (Or at least learn how to take a punch properly.)

Holtz stared in shock as Dawn walked up to him, taking her glasses off as she did, showing the bright glowing eyes underneath.

"I normally don't hit elderly people but in your case."

With an efficient knifehand, she struck Holtz at the base of his neck and knocked him out. That sort of thing didn't work on vampires, so Buffy hadn't had a lot of practice doing it. She was glad it worked since she really didn't want to knock him out with a fist.

With their leaders taken down, the demon mob rushed forwards.

Buffy did a tumbling roll back, picking up her short sword off the floor as she did. Then both sides collided together, metal against demon flesh.

The home team set up lines instinctively. Angel, Dawn and Groo were in front, the heavy hitters, while Cordelia, Wesley and Fred stood back, taking kills of opportunity.

Demons were falling over their dead comrades to kill Angel. They had been held back by Wolfram and Hart for years and when they finally they had a chance to kill him they were going to take it. It's always possible that Wolfram and Hart would take away the opportunity tomorrow. They're evil like that.

(Come on Buffy.) Spike growled, (I can do better than this. You just don't have the experience in big brawls that I do.)

(Take a try then.) Buffy offered and Spike waded into the mass, the short sword swinging around like a propeller blade, causing indiscriminate damage all around.

Spike's thirst for violence just kicked into high gear, (Just let me do my thing.)

(Fine.) Buffy told him, (But I'm watching you.)

"WOOO!" Spike hollered as he uppercut a demon, knocking it up twelve feet in the air by it's head, "I could get used to this!"

Although the rest had been pushed back by the sheer quantity of demons, they were beginning to hold their ground. The demons just couldn't get to them fast enough while Dawn was out in front running distraction and destruction.

More demons were coming in from the streets until finally a giant cobra with two arms came in and towered over the rest of the demons.

(Holy crap!) Xander gasped, (I can't believe that demon just walked in off the street. It's huge.)

(That's one of those sobekian cobra monsters.) Buffy said, noticing how this one was considerably bigger than the last one. Although, this one knew how to crawl through doors better since it didn't rip them off the hinges like the last one she killed.

(Any ideas?) Spike asked her.

(I've got a few.) Buffy said as Dawn's mouth twisted into an evil show of teeth.

Buffy jumped forward, lightning fast, slamming into the giant cobra monster with both hands. She hit it so fast, it caused a concussive wave.

The Sobekian rocked back against the wall then fell down, crushing demons underneath it as it as it hit the ground.

When they landed on their feet, a demon rushed them from behind and Spike just spun backwards in midair and brought a kick straight down onto it's head. There was a loud crunch and the demon was stopped completely in place, the sheer shockwave from the impact having shattered it's skull, spine and a few other unrelated bones.

Buffy growled dangerously as she walked towards the stunned snake. Dawn's vampire face fully on and drool was running out of her mouth like a leaky faucet.

Most of the other occupants in the room had now stopped fighting and were now watching the Dawn's incredible and implausible feat of strength.

Dawn heaved up the huge demon, which weighed more than a car, onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry. Then she turned and the whole snake turned with her, it's tail whipped out and clobbered half the demons in the room.

"Holy shit! That's not possible." Gunn blurted out, "It's.. How can she get the leverage?"

"She's found a way." Angel muttered, totally transfixed.

Then Dawn jumped into the air, taking the giant snake up with her. In mid air, she pulled it down in front of her and upon landing, she piledrove it into the ground head first. It's head cracked, the floorboards splintered and it's tail whipped down like a flyswat and flattened a line of demons.

After that, the demons had lost their zeal and started retreating in haste.

"That was amazing!" Cordelia said, laughing at she walked up to Dawn.

Dawn looked at her with unseeing eyes and Cordelia knew at once that bloodlust had taken her over.

Cordelia backed away but Dawn sped forwards, biting her on the neck and started sucking the life out of her in one smooth, fluid and strangely natural motion.

Angel and Groo were quick to try to pry Dawn off but it seemed that they'd have to kill her to succeed and neither were ready to try that just yet.

Luckily for them, it seemed fate had different plans in mind.

From deep within Cordelia, a deeply blue and incredibly bright glow flowed out of her. It grew into a blinding intensity that covered everything.

"Why does it burn!?" A demon screamed, flailing around the room with it's eyeballs on fire.

When the blue light dissipated, the scene was vastly different.

The vastly different part was the fact that the different Dawn personalities had separated into their own individual and corresponding bodies.

Cordelia took a few steps back from Dawn who had stopped biting her and held her neck where she was bitten, finding that it she had no fatally leaking jugular. She did feel really light headed though.

Then Dawn's eyes bugged out and she ran to behind the counter, fell to her knees where she couldn't be seen and started throwing up blood into a waste bin.

Buffy looked down to her chest, "Wow. I'm back to normal."

Lorne took a deep breath, "And my hayfever just disappeared entirely."

Xander turned to Cordelia with a bright smile, "Cor, You really should teach me how you do that."

"Hello, Buffy and.. others. You're all wearing clothes." Wesley said, amazed at how Cordelia's powers had worked, "That was a nice touch."

"Why thank you." D'Hoffryn, A high lord of Arashmahar, said as if he was delivering roses, "I thought it best to avoid any more unpleasantness."

"D'Hoffryn!" Anya gasped as she recognised him and Halfrek standing next to him, "Hallie! What are you doing here?"

"Dawn Summers?" D'Hoffryn called, looking for her.

Dawn looked up from behind the counter and wiped her mouth sloppily, "Yes?"

"Dawn Summers." D'Hoffyrn, bringer of pain and suffering, said politely, "We have decided to take back your wish. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you."

"That's okay." Dawn said, currently too inconvenienced with the knot in her gut to argue.

"No. we haven't." Halfrek whined, "I stand by her wish. It's for the best."

D'Hoffyrn rolled his eyes and sighed, "Sorry, Halfrek. My hand was forced."

Willow turned to a heavily disorientated Tara and hugged her, "Are you okay?"

"Yuh-yeah. What happened?" Tara asked, confused, "Actually, I feel pretty good. Rested."

Then Willow held her head in her hands and kissed her deeply and passionately, totally forgetting where they were.

The male occupants of the room, including D'Hoffryn, watched them go at it with interest.

Spike couldn't help but crack a wise ass comment, "They really don't do that enough."

When they stopped, Xander whooped with joy, "Yay! No more breasts. No offense, Fred."

Buffy looked down to her own breasts and weighed them with concern, "Hmm. Mine are actually pretty big."

"And you're complaining?" Spike snorted as he ogled them.

Xander took that opportunity to knock Spike out with a plank of wood he picked off the ground.

"Xander!" Buffy screamed at him, "What are you doing?"

"What!? Did you forget he's the evil dead? Now he doesn't have a chip."

D'Hoffryn hemmed, "Actually he does. I thought it would be nice if I put everything back the way it was."

"Uh.. Thanks. That was very .. nice of you." Buffy said, unsure of herself as she did then she turned to Xander with an angry glare, "So Xander just brained Spike for no reason."

"I wouldn't say that." Angel said with a big grin on his face as he looked down at an unconscious Spike, "Nice hit, Harris."

"Was a long time coming."

"It seems that I'm no longer needed here, so I'll take my leave." D'Hoffryn said with a big smile, "Halfrek. Enjoy your new life."

Halfrek blinked in confusion, "New life?"

"Maybe I should say old life." D'Hoffryn said with a shrug. Then he clicked his fingers and disappeared in a short lived column of flame

Halfrek clicked her fingers and nothing happened so she tried it again, still nothing. She looked frustrated and started trying a few other things, like wiggling her nose. She stomped her foot in frustration as her powers had stranded her.

"Well. Looks like all's well that ends well." Buffy said with glee, rubbing her hands together.

"If there's anything we can help you with. Be sure to ask." Angel offered, more out of politeness than actually offering.

Buffy turns to Angel, a small smile creeps onto her face.

"Now that you mention it. There is this one thing..."

-----

Later, at night.

Sunnydale. The trio's secret base of operations otherwise known as the basement in Warren's mother's house.

"Hey!.. HEY! Wake up!" Jonathan yelled, "We've got Buff-a-rama!"

"Buffy." Warren murmured in his sleep and he rubbed his crotch dopily until was awake enough to realise where he was, "Wassup?"

"Buffy." Jonathan told him, pointing to the closed circuit surveillance monitor.

"And there's Willow. She's looking well." Andrew noted.

"Forget Willow. Buffy's the one we're after." Warren lectured him with two empty hands in front of his chest to represent him holding his own heaving breasts, "She's the one with the gazoongas."

"Anya's got bigger gazoonga than Buffy." Jonathan argued.

"Not even." Warren argued back.

"Way bigger."

"Nuh-uh."

"Okay. Tomorrow, we're going to settle this." Warren told Jonathan, "We're going to raid steal clothes off their line and compare bra sizes."

"I like Tara. Is Tara there?" Andrew interrupted them, "Buffy. She just doesn't have the grace Tara has."

"Are you gay or something?" Warren asked him, secretly already knowing the answer, "Buffy has grace. She oozes grace. She does tai chi for fricken sake. She probably has sex upside-down half the time. That's grace for you."

"There she is." Andrew said with a small smile as Tara walked into the scene, "Hello Tara. Hello Andrew. How are you doing, Tara. I'm .."

Andrew stopped when the other two looked at him like he was a mental patient. Then they looked back to the screen.

"Oh wow." Jonathan said in awe, "I guess Willow and Tara are back together."

"Maybe we should take a closer look at Willow." Warren said, watching the screen intently as he loosened his collar, "She is Buffy's best friend after all. If we're going to take on Buffy we should know every nook and cranny of her life."

They were watching the screen where Tara and Willow were kissing. They stopped when Buffy walked into the scene.

"Oh. They stopped." Jonathan whined, "Buffy, you spoilsport."

On screen, Buffy leant over and kissed Tara while Willow looked on with a big smile.

At that all eyes were frozen to the screen and all jaws were hanging loose.

"Tara kissed Willow then Buffy kissed Tara." Andrew said, trying to calculate something inside his head, "So will.."

On screen, Willow walked up to Buffy, gripped her ass and pulled her into a tight passionate kiss.

"Oh, JACKPOT, BABY!, Yeah!" Warren yelled, "This is the mother lode."

"This is so awesome." Jonathan said, "We should be taping this."

"You mean you're NOT taping this?" Warren yelled at him.

Jonathan fumbled with a drawer to his desk, looking for a tape.

Then Anya and Dawn walked into the scene and started making out with

the

"She's like a mini Buffy but bigger." Jonathan stereotyped Dawn for no apparent reason, "Like a chocolate milkshake only crunchy."

"Holy crap." Andrew gasped, "Buffy and Dawn are making out. But they're sisters."

"Hey. If I was Buffy's sister, I'd still kiss Buffy. Wouldn't you?"

Andrew nodded emphatically while Jonathan gave them a weird look and continued looking for a tape.

Dawn leant in, whispering something into Buffy's ears then Dawn lifted her sister onto the edge of the couch and lowered her back so only Buffy's legs were still in the scene. Then Dawn took down Buffy's skirt, discarded it without a care and placed her leg's on top of her shoulders. Then Dawn knelt down, so her head was off screen but the trio could tell that it was between Buffy's legs.

"Omigod. Dawn's.. to her own sister.." Jonathan panted, "That's so hot."

Everyone else on the screen seemed to agree, since they had stopped kissing and were intent with watching Dawn eat out her sister. The weird thing was they were laughing while it was happening.

"Oh damn. Show us! Show the audience." Warren yelled at the screen while pointing to himself, "We need more cameras. And audio. I want to hear them moaning."

"We definitely need more cameras. Maybe with fish eye lenses." Jonathan said, out of breath, "Hey. Has anyone seen my inhaler?"

"Forget your inhaler, get a tape."

"We should sell this on the internet." Andrew came up with a stellar idea, "There's got to be a market."

Warren looked at him angrily, "We are not going to sell this. This is for our own private pleasure-I mean surveillance. Our own private surveillance."

"Dude. We could make a lotta money." Andrew said, "Forget trying to take over Sunnydale with a crimewave to rival all others. This is an untapped resource. It's-It's our responsibility to give this to the masses. Just imagine how much we'll get for this. We could be like those Arabian oil barons. With our own harems even."

Warren looked at the screen one last time, "That does have a certain allure to it. We should do research."

"So that's where they've been all this time." Jonathan deducted, "They've been out having crazy group sex. Of course. It makes perfect sense."

Warren squinted and looked closer at the monitor, "Hey, pint size. Zoom in."

Jonathan blinked, "Don't you remember? We decided not to fork out the money for those extras."

Warren groaned, "Forget it. Just watch their hands when they kiss."

Jonathan chuckled, "Why? Where are they putting them?"

"Just watch."

Willow and Anya approached each other, wrapped their hands around each other's heads so that they covered the other person's mouth as they came in for a kiss.

"It's fake." Warren was the first to say out loud.

"Maybe they're going to perform a play." Andrew said, thinking about the possibilities.

Warren gasped, having thought about a more terrifying aspect, "Maybe they're performing a play right NOW."

He rushed towards the basement door, opened it and got pulled through by his jacket by Angel.

"Hi. I'm Angel from Angel investigations and I'm investigating a case of three stalkers." Angel said with Warren in one hand and a parabolic microphone in the other.

Warren struggled, "Hey! let me go!"

Angel shrugged and let him go straight into the arms of four Sunnydale police which were standing next to him.

"What!?" Warren shouted, "What do you think you're going to do? Arrest me?"

Angel nodded.

-----

Slightly later, Dawn's room.

There was a knock on the door and Dawn called, "Come in."

The door creaked open and Willow walked in.

Dawn had noticed that Willow was looking better than she had in a long time. Whatever that blue flash Cordelia did was, it helped cure Willow of her magic addiction.

"Dawnie?" Willow said with a strangely devious smile, "You're not interested in the downstairs activities?"

Dawn shook her head, "I think I need a little space from people for a while. I've been feeling smothered recently but in a good way."

Willow sighed with relief, "Oh good. I thought I was the only one."

"So you and Tara are back together now?" Dawn's inquiry trailed off slightly.

Willow smiled, "Nothing has been written in stone but it's looks hopeful."

"Yay!" Dawn squealed with teenybopper exuberance, "That's so awesome."

"Yes. It is." Willow said beaming a big smile of her own, "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot the reason I came up."

"You need a reason?"

"No but I thought I should give you this." Willow said, pulling out a large packaged box from behind her back with a ribbon on top.

Dawn took the package and read the card, "Happy birthday from Tara and Willow. But my birthday's not for another two months."

Willow smirked, "We won't tell if you don't."

At that, Willow took her leave.

Dawn stared at the box for a while then held it up to her ear and shook it slightly. Not having a clue what was inside, she peeled off the wrapping then opened the cardboard box to look inside.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, dropping the box on the bed and started laughing her lungs out.

-----

Angel and Buffy were sitting in the dining room, talking quietly, while almost everyone else was in the living room.

"Hey! Keep it down up there." Buffy yelled to the ceiling as Willow reached the bottom of the stairs, "Hey, Will. If it's that funny, why don't you tell us the joke?"

Willow gave her a almost innocent look back, "What joke?", then continued on to mingle in the living room. Even Wesley was there, although definitely the most quiet one in the room. It appeared that he didn't want to jinx anything by talking. He was standing next to Gunn and Xander, drinking tea in peace amongst the noise.

Gunn was out of hospital and already back to full health and talking with Xander. The two automatically hit it off.

"So it's really that bad here?" Gunn asked Xander, "That's hard to believe. This town is way small."

Xander nodded sagely, "It's worse than that. It even scared Angel away. It's all these girls. I'm the only male scooby left."

Gunn gave him a smirk, "You poor man."

"Hey. Maybe if I lived in some alternate playboy universe it would be fun but in real life it's not that great."

"Could be worse. There could be more guys than girls. I thought me and Wes were going to have to throw down over Fred there." Gunn said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to where Fred was talking to the ex-vengeance demons and Tara.

"And look. We've got one more." Xander in defeat, "But I'm sure Hallie will fit in just fine. She at least knows Anya. When Anya first lost her powers, she didn't know anyone."

"Anya had powers?" Gunn asked.

"Yeah. She used to be a vengeance demon. It's actually how we met, back when I was dating Cordelia. Anya granted Cordelia a wish and.. actually, I don't know what happened. But Anya lost her powers doing it."

Gunn processed this, shrugged then asked "So how did you explain totally disappearing for a few days?"

"The truth." Xander said with a smirk, "A girl I knew was in danger so I dropped everything, went to LA and we got her help. The guys at work reckon I'm a hero because I risked my career to save my poor defenseless friend Buffy from not just one but three stalkers."

"Sweet." Gunn chuckled, "If only they knew what you really got up to at nights."

Xander laughed, "Yeah. I just don't ever seeing them drunk enough to believe me is all."

Meanwhile, the girls plus Lorne and Spike were huddled around the donut box.

At a lull in the conversation and gossip, Tara turned to Lorne, "You're definitely one of the nicer, uh-"

"Non-humans?" Lorne suggested with a smile.

"Yes. You're definitely one of the nicer non-humans I've met."

"Hey." Spike sounded wounded.

"What?" Tara asked him, "You're evil and spiteful. If it makes you feel better, you're my favorite evil demon of all time."

"Yeah. Does." Spike said, pouting slightly.

"What about me?" Anya asked Tara.

"You were never really evil, just maybe misguided." Willow explained, "That's why Hallie isn't a stain on the sidewalk from the beating Buffy didn't give her."

"About that. Thanks." Hallie said with a bright smile.

"And sorry for biting you." Tara said apologetically to Cordelia.

"Trust me, the chocolates and matching necklace and earrings you gave me are more than thanks enough." Cordelia said with a big smile which was slightly marred with icing sugar from her donut, "In fact, I'd say I'm the winner here."

Cordelia lifted up the sparkling silver necklace from her neck and admired it again.

In the dining room, Buffy and Angel were not quite so cheery. They were almost sombre in mood.

"So, how are you handling Connor and whatshisname, Holtz?" Buffy asked him.

"I thought about it and I decided to let them go."

Buffy blinked, "Let them go?"

"To Utah." Angel added, "When they Connor and Holtz came back from Quor-toth, they came back .. wrong. That's why Holtz was so gross looking and why he was acting so evil. Holtz would never have gone to Wolfram and Hart before. But when Cordelia did her magic, she cleansed them of that. We talked and although it hurts, I decided that it's best for them to have a vacation from this life."

"Wow." Buffy said, amazed at Angel, "That was really selfless."

"Thanks."

Buffy took a sip of coffee while a question nagged her.

"So how long do you think they'll stay there?" she finally asked him.

Angel shrugged, "I'll give them a year. Better than nothing."

"This is nice." Buffy said conversationally, "A social visit. We haven't done any of these before."

"Yeah. Nice." Angel said, noticing how Spike was watching him from the other room with barely restrained hostility, "This is how it should be. I'm the only vampire with a soul here."

Buffy gave him a weird look.

"It's my thing." he blurted defensively, "Everyone needs a thing."

Buffy smiled at Angel and thanked him, "Thanks for helping with the trio. I guess I forgot to say that before."

"Wasn't a problem."

"They were for me. Particularly at this time of year when I don't want those three getting in the way. The evil should start picking up soon and some big bad will just pop out of the wood works."

"It might not happen." Angel told her, "It can't happen every year, can it?"

"Fingers crossed." Buffy told her, with two fingers crossed.

Angel looked at her with that look of inner turmoil that always made Buffy's heart melt. She'd grown resistance to it but it still worked a little magic on her.

"What?" She asked.

"I know it's not my place but You and Spike-"

"You're right. It's not your place." Buffy cut him off.

Angel looked down at the table, disappointed in her. Buffy's nose scrunched up and she rethought that last part, seeing that he was disappointed in himself.

"Angel." Buffy said with a calmer voice, "It doesn't mean anything. It's just physical. With my life, boyfriends aren't really a possibility. You get that, right?"

"What about Riley?"

"Didn't work out. He needed someone who needed him back. I just couldn't give that to him." Buffy looked down at the table, disappointed with herself.

"I always thought you would get together with Xander." Angel said, surprising her.

Buffy gave him an odd look, "Where would you get that idea from? And I didn't think you liked Xander."

"I don't. It's just he's a better prospect than captain peroxide. However, I didn't know Xander was getting married."

"Isn't it amazing how quickly they grow up?" Buffy said, watching Xander and Gunn laughing their asses off, much to Cordelia's dismay.

"Yeah. It is."

"Angel."

"Yes?"

"About Spike. I'm going to cut it off. I don't think it's.. healthy. For either of us."

"Oh, uh. Yes. That would be prudent. Cut it in the bud, so to speak."

"To tell you the truth. I think he's got a thing for Hallie." Buffy told him.

"The ex-demon that made him a girl?" Angel smirked, "I always knew he was a masochist."

"Nah. That's Xander."

Angel blinked, "Hmm?"

Buffy shook her head, laughing, "Forget I said that."

Now that they had both said what needed to be said, they joined the rest and whiled the night away, talking about mindless things.

About how if Spike was trapped in a girl's body by himself, he'd work at a strip club.

About how useless Angel is at playing video games.

About how Hallie could run the magic shop while Xander and Anya are on their honeymoon.

About how Dawn lost two belt sizes but will bounce back and be blimp girl in a few weeks.

About how Cordelia met Groo and his people made her a princess.

About how Groo has great color coordination.

About how Anya could teach Hallie about human like, finances, mortgaging her first home, rent to buy, credit cards, bikini waxing.

About how Hallie asked if it was too late to be beaten to death yet.

About quantum wave theory and the inverse square law and it's relation to relativity. That particular topic was short lived as Fred was even going beyond Willow's understanding of the mechanics behind the universe.

Buffy comment earlier was right. It was nice. Not normal in the least, but nice.

* * *

FIN. 

Feedback would be cool.


End file.
